Future Lost
by Numinor29
Summary: The Zelda that Could Have Been. In the distant future, Ganon has the Triforces of Power and Courage, along with Din and Farore under his power. Nayru is all but powerless. Will the last person to believe in her be her salvation... or her destruction?
1. A Wandering Goddess and The MageKnight

Title: Future Lost

Series: The Legend of Zelda

Time: At least 1000 years after Wind Waker, probably more

Rating: PG-13/Teen/Whatever

Reason for rating: Combat, non-descriptive blood and injuries, slightly more mature storyline (as opposed to happy, kiddy fics)

Main Characters: Nayru, Ganon, Link

Summary: In the far future that could have been, people do not believe in the Goddesses of Hyrule much. Lacking believers, and thus crippled and nearly powerless, they easily fall prey to Ganon's might. The Goddess of Fire and Power, Din, and the Goddess of Wind and Courage, Farore, have been captured, along with their respective pieces of the Triforce. The Goddess of Water and Wisdom, Nayru, is injured and dying. Ganon's armies are sweeping the land. The only hope is a young Captain in the southern kingdom of Seraphia, a boy called Link, and the hearts and prayers of his country's people. However, Ganon will not let something as silly as the newest Link prevent him from reaching his oh-so-close goal… And he'll stop at nothing to break the Goddess of Wisdom and bring her to her knees.

Pairings: I dunno… Link x Nayru, maybe? That has not been decided at this time. But Nayru does deserve some loving from the fans, don't you think? XD

Prologue: A Wandering Goddess

A long, long time ago, the bruised and bloodied girl had been known as Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom and Water. The people of Hyrule and countries beyond had acknowledged her and, for the most part, faithfully followed the laws she had passed down for them. But Time was a cruel mistress, one not even a Goddess could escape.

Nayru remembered the Hero of Time, a master warrior who had sealed the man called Ganon away for the longest time she could remember. Farore had always spoken of him the highest of anyone who had ever born the Triforce of Courage. That legend's companion, one of the oh-so-many Zelda's, Nayru also remembered well. She had liked that one quite a bit. The girl had actually gone out and done something. In disguise, sure, but hey.

Now, however, like clockwork, Ganon had made his way out of the Dark World where he was so often kept. This time, though, like the time before Hyrule had been buried, no Link had shown up, bearing the Master Sword. Ganon had used the Triforce of Power to bring Din to her knees; even now, Nayru's dear friend was chained to Ganon's bed and made to do his bidding.

After that, the madman had unceasingly searched for the Triforce of Courage. The small boy who found it had been rewarded by Ganon for his efforts, and even now commanded his armies as a master General. Farore had also been found and beaten into submission, and was currently forced into the role of a servant girl who obeyed the Gerudo King.

Ganon had not stopped there, of course. Why would he? Two of the Goddesses had been ground beneath his feet, he possessed two parts of the Triforce, and his armies had conquered most of the world. Only a small kingdom of magic-users in the far south had managed to hold back his armies, but they weren't quite strong enough to defeat him permanently. Sooner or later, they would fall.

However, Nayru had made her way there anyways, hoping there was someone who still believed. After all, her power came from the faith of the people. As long as they believed in her and her power, she could be strong. But few did.

By her estimate, Nayru had only three people who believed, and only one prayed. Ganon knew she existed of course, had known for a very long time. Another was a small child who'd heard bedtime stories about her, one of the few that were still told. The last… she didn't know. That was what she wanted to find out. If her last hope had the capability to remind enough people of who she was, the Goddess could create a new Law of the world. But that… that would take many believers. And things did not look good.

The trip to the small kingdom of Seraphia had not gone well. Crippled of most of her powers, Nayru had been forced to walk hundreds of miles across the wilderness. And while no creature dared to attack her, weak as she was, neither did they offer to help. The worst part of it all was when she had been captured by a group of Moblins who knew her face.

They had not hesitated or held back. They had attacked her immediately with all they had, knowing that unless they gave everything they had, she would be able to blow them apart. Even weakened, she _was_ a Goddess, after all, and thus far more powerful than any mortal when angered. Or even calm.

But Nayru had overestimated the power she had left. She had won, true. The Moblins were even now rotting beneath the sun. But she had regressed in age back to sixteen, so little was her power. She could not even heal her wounds anymore, and so had to stumble forward, covering her wounds as best she could.

She tripped and fell to the ground at the edge of a forest. In front of her, she could see the white spires that made up her destination. A few tears blurred her vision. She was so close! She could almost touch the place.

"Din… Farore…" the girl whispered. "Hang on… I'll rescue you, no matter what…" Taking several deep breaths, the girl began to crawl forward, one hand after another. Her clothes were already no more than dirty rags; a little more soil on them would make no difference. All that mattered was reaching the city, finding that beacon of hope.

Her strength gave out just before she would have made it into the sight of the guards, and thus receive aid. Nayru lay where she was, breathing irregularly. She realized, feeling a chill, that she was dying. She had only lived as long as she had because of those tiny grams of faith, and that power was finally exhausted. Nayru closed her eyes.

Chapter One: The Mage-Knight

Nayru's eyes fluttered open. She felt silk sheets beneath her, and a huge, warm, comforting blanket above. The crackle of a fire reached her ears. Was this death? Where Goddesses went when they finally faded away?

A door creaked open. Nayru turned and looked. Standing in the doorway was a boy, who looked to be about the same age she did. The goddess licked her dry lips and stared at him. He was not especially handsome, nor did he really stick out in any other way. But hanging around his neck was a small pendant with the mark of the Triforce…

"You're up." The boy said calmly, walking over and kneeling beside the bed. The girl reached out and touched the necklace. A relatively large surge of power suddenly flowed into her. It was less than a tenth of a percent of her full abilities, less than a hundredth, even, but it was an incredible amount compared to what she had felt as she lay dying.

"You believe in me." Nayru whispered, continuing to brush the sacred triangles. She began crying. Wordlessly, the boy wrapped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed against his chest. Her hope had not been in vain after all! He was no child on the street or doddering old fool, he was a young man, and his belief was strong. "You believe…"

"Yes." The boy said simply. "The one called Farore… I met her while out in the field, spying on Ganon's armies. She told me all about the Goddesses of Hyrule, and created this for me." The boy indicated his pendant. "And after that, I never had the desire to back away just because something frightened me. How could I not believe?"

Nayru pulled back, rather wanting to just kiss him. "Was… was she well?" the Goddess asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer. "Was my friend well?"

"She looked about as ragged as you." The boy said dryly. "But seemed well enough. Apparently, Ganon wiped the memories of fifty people, then split them into two groups and turned them into raving, devoted worshippers. Half sustains Farore, the other your friend Din. Enough to keep them well, not so many to give them nearly the power to challenge their captor." Nayru nodded, took several deep breaths, and relaxed. Of course they'd be treated well. If they died, out went their power. "I am Link, Captain of the Seraphia Mage-Knights, my lady."

Nayru's breath caught in her throat. It was not widely known to people beyond the most dedicated scholars of her Law (not that any were left, so it was probably not known at all anymore), but when she had given out the Law of the Land, one of the notes at the very back, in all the boring text few people bothered to read, explained the Link. It was not just a name, but an identity. The one who bore that name, and who was blessed by the Goddesses, usually Farore, was their link to the people. He carried out their will. This boy… he was the newest Link. And that meant he could change the world, something it badly needed.

"Captain…" Nayru began. "Can you take me to your ruler? I wish to speak with him." the boy nodded curtly, then reached under the sheets and lifted the girl up. After a moment, he glanced down.

"Your clothes aren't dirty anymore." He said, blinking as he began walking. "But I forbade any of the servants to touch you or anything you had…" Nayru giggled a little. Respect for divinity, perhaps?

"It is because of your faith." The girl replied softly. "My power comes from my believers. You believe in me, more strongly now that we have met, so a little fraction of my power has returned." The boy frowned. After a few seconds, the girl actually laughed. "The most devoted worship can only do so much for me, it is one of the restrictions placed upon us. Din, Farore, and I must have many people behind us if we are to be strong. If only a few believe, no matter how greatly, then we shall still be weak." The Mage-Knight nodded as he carried the girl into the Gathering Hall where his King resided. All talking ceased almost immediately.

"This is the girl you found?" the King boomed out, staring at Nayru. "The one you claim is a Goddess?" Link gently set Nayru on her feet, making sure she could support herself against him, and turned to look at his ruler.

"Yes." The boy said. Whispers broke out among all the gathered nobles. The Captain of Seraphia's famous and extremely powerful Mage-Knights had always been a realistic person. Sure, he had lofty ambitions, but his willingness to tackle those problems with effort instead of dreams had gotten him to one of the highest positions in the land. He wasn't the sort to pull something like this as a stunt. The boy smirked, then drew his sword out of its sheath. It was made of some glowing golden metal…

Nayru suddenly blinked. There were two golden metals. One was, of course, gold. The other, Orichalcon, was a rare but magically powerful substance. The Master Sword itself had an Orichalcon core, encased inside of blessed silver and steel crafted by Din's own hands.

"I swear, by my blade, the holy Ragnell, that the girl you see beside me is Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, one of the three patrons of Hyrule." The boy said. His blade flashed. After a moment, the boy resheathed it. The whispers got louder.

Hyrule. That was where Ganon had struck from after the great seas had finally moved away. A large, barren land that had once been the jewel of the world. Was this some sort of trick crafted by their enemies? But Ragnell had approved the boy's oath of truth! Everybody knew the story of the blade! If the boy had been intentionally lying, it would have killed him on the spot, and it was far from easy to fool him.

Nayru felt just a little stronger. Link had put his life on the line, without hesitation, to support her. That was a mark of incredible belief. After a few seconds, Nayru reached out. A circular harp appeared in her hands.

"Allow me to show you." The Goddess said softly. She began playing a soft tune. "I will show you the echoes of what has gone before." She was glad that the Harp of Ages was still in her possession. It had been crafted hundreds of years ago by her own hands, and was powered by its own magic. And it reacted very favorably to its loving creator.

Everyone in the hall found themselves suddenly in the past, above the ground. It didn't take long for the magically-sensitive people to realize they were seeing a vision. Events unfolded at lightning speed for several minutes, before the song finally finished and returned them to reality.

"I see." The King said, mopping his brow. Nayru smiled slightly as she realized that nearly two dozen people had just begun to believe in her. Weakly, yes, but they were people and they believed. So this was the amount of power her friends had. "None of us has the power to show the past like that; our strongest cannot come close. Why are you here, Goddess?" Nayru tilted her head.

"I came to this land because one here believed in me." She said, looking over to Link. "If you so wish, I will stay here, and help you in your fight against Ganon. He holds my dearest friends captive, forcing them into servitude at his feet. I have fought him many times before, and unfortunately, know him well." Everybody in the room nodded. After a few more seconds, Link swept the girl off her feet.

"Lady Nayru is still weak." The boy explained smoothly, somehow managing to bow to the King while holding her. "I believe she could use some more rest." The King nodded and waved a hand. Link spun around and carried his Goddess out.

Nayru rested against him as they moved through the corridors. The tiny flicker of hope had grown. The rulers of Seraphia, land of magic, believed in her and would support her. The people would surely follow if she moved the pieces right. And if the entire country believed in her and her friends, then she was sure Ganon could be overcome.

"Captain Link, do you swear to do everything in your power to help me recover and defeat Ganon?" the Goddess asked. Without hesitation or even thought, the boy acknowledged the question.

"Yes, I do."

"Thank you. There is a… prophecy, you might say… that was made about two thousand years ago." The Goddess closed her eyes. "_The Hero's Triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three symbols of Virtue. The Master Sword he will then retrieve, keeping the knight's line true_ If you can find three objects that require a test of your Courage, your Power, and your Wisdom, then I can make the prophecy true once more."

"Dual-wielding…" the boy muttered. "I cannot give up Ragnell; it is a mark of who I am and one of my greatest friends. I looked up the legends about you, and the Master Sword seems necessary as well. Could be trouble."

Nayru laughed as they entered her room and she was deposited on her bed. A few servants curiously peeked in. Link shooed them away. The Goddess took a few long, deep breaths as she focused on healing herself. She had enough energy now to cover up her wounds, though she still couldn't fix up her clothes. And that was just embarrassing. Thankfully, the heavy cover was pulled over her a moment later, preventing her feminine embarrassment from getting the better of her.

"Please rest." Link said, heading back towards the door. "And ring the bell if you need anything. One of my knights will come and see to it that you get whatever you need, be it food, water, or virgin sacrifices." He winked at the girl, but she felt nervous all the same.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting upright. Link paused in the doorway.

"To give more lessons to my Mage-Knights, of course." The boy said, smiling gently. "We are at war, after all, and up against a man with more power than any three Goddesses, not to mention two under his control, and a massive army of monsters beyond that. I mean no disrespect, my lady, but even if all in Seraphia believe in you, which I think they soon will, that won't be enough. I know the King, unfortunately, and once you are strong again he will order us to change to the offensive side. My soldiers need to be ready."

Nayru, slowly, nodded. After a moment, she pulled off a hair ornament that was shaped like a ring and tossed it to him.

"Take that, with my blessings, then." The girl said softly. The boy slipped it onto his smallest right finger. "You have done much for me, Captain Link of the Seraphia Mage-Knights. More than I can ever repay." A strange expression crossed the boy's face.

"It is no trouble." He replied. "I… have a reason." He hurried out, leaving the bewildered but ultimately pleased Goddess behind him.

A nice nap later, Nayru stretched and awoke, feeling even stronger. Another fifty people had become her followers while she slept. Her clothes had finally fixed themselves, turning into the radiant outfit she usually wore. Unfortunately, she was still sixteen. Taking a deep breath, the Goddess hurried to the window and looked outside, hearing the sounds of combat from below. Training, of course.

What she saw next amazed her. In front of a large group of warriors… fifty, the girl realized, probably making them her new followers, Link had shifted into a fighting stance against a huge monster. The boy didn't hesitate in charging forward and working into a combat routine.

The monster was no slouch, easily parrying the blows. Smirking, Link slipped backwards, then sent his sword through a series of rapid slashes. Each slash sent a wave of holy energy flying out of his blade, impacting against the creature. It was finished when the boy raised his hand. With her eyes, which saw many things mortals could not, Nayru witnessed a blast of magical energy fly up. It came back down in the visible spectrum as a massive bolt of lightning.

The monster turned into smoke and vanished. An illusion, not a summoning, Nayru thought mildly. So it could be reused. That was a very high-level illusion, though, since it could obviously interact with the real world and apparently fight. If there were even five people in this Kingdom who could do that sort of thing, then it made sense that Ganon's armies had been repelled.

Monsters that would always return; an army that could not be defeated. However, those enchantments took energy. Energy the illusionists didn't have over prolonged periods. She smiled a bit as all the knights below her began combat drills.

Half an instant later, an explosion rocked the entire city. The warriors below her stopped what they were doing, and before Nayru even realized what was happening, split into groups and flew straight out of the compound. Ah, yes, that made sense. They were the Mage-Knights that Link commanded. Flight was among the most basic magic as well.

It was then that the Goddess felt a chill run down her spine. That sort of magical signal… it could mean only one thing. Nayru took off running, heading for the ground floor where she hoped Link still was. Naturally, he wasn't there. Her luck wasn't _that_ good. The girl paced for several moments before taking off running towards the direction of the pulse.

It wasn't very hard to find what was causing it. People usually didn't miss twenty-foot tall portals, after all, especially not ones that were glowing red. The Goddess swallowed as several shapes emerged from the massive portal and hid behind a large stone pillar. From the lead shape, there came an immense aura of pure evil. He was here.

Ganon was here.

"I don't know what brings you here, King Ganon of Hyrule." Link said, his golden blade held out before him. "But you've made a mistake in doing it." his sword's aura grew brighter. "Ragnell feeds on the darkness of my enemies, and yours is nearly infinite."

"Of course." The evil king said, a wide smile crossing his face. He raised a hand and a massive fireball burst out of his hand and shot towards the boy that protected the kingdom of Seraphia. The burst was countered by a barrier of water. "Ah, you must be the Mage-Knight Captain that Anthony here has talked so much about." He indicated his top General. Nayru narrowed her eyes. He was the one who had betrayed Farore. Slime. "Get out of my way." He flapped a hand and Link was thrown aside like a little rag doll. "You might be strong to him, but I have the powers of a God! You're no match for me!"

Link staggered upright. After a moment, he held Ragnell up in front of him. There was no fear in his eyes. "My duty is to guard Seraphia, its people, its King, and lady Nayru. You will not pass this point, King Ganon of Hyrule, unless you've destroyed my body, shattered my soul, and wiped every memory of my existence from the world." Ganon stared at him, then jerked a chain he was holding. Nayru almost cried out as she saw Din stagger forward.

"Child, do you know who this is?" Ganon said, licking Din's cheek, then his lips. "This is Din, whose power I have had for centuries. And now she herself is nothing but a little slave. A great Goddess reduced to my plaything. You are nothing compared to me. But as you are much stronger than most of you mortals, I _will_ offer you a place at my side. Think about it."

"There is nothing to think about." Link replied quietly. "I will never bow to you, nor will my Mage-Knights, or any other citizen of my land." He cleaved Ragnell in a diagonal motion, sending a wave of holy light at Ganon. To only a small bit of shock from Nayru, the evil king was thrown backwards. Ganon hissed in irritation.

"I can cut off his portal." Nayru said, stepping out into the open. Ganon's eyes widened in glee. "If you all believe that I can… then I know I will have the power to do it!" the Mage-Knights gathered there looked at each other, then shrugged. Most of them closed their eyes and began praying.

"You… little… wench…" Ganon said, laughing. "Come here, you foolish girl!" he lunged forward. Without even hesitating, Link began to bring his sword down. It was stopped by one of Ganon's soldiers, who moved with inhuman speed to block Link's golden blade with his own black one.

"Alondite?" Link whispered, looking at the blade that had the power to stop his own. The soldier, concealed in black armor, chuckled. "All of you, get out of here! Lady Nayru, run! This is too dangerous! And believe in her!"

One of his soldiers grabbed Nayru and hauled her off behind him as he took off. All of them knew better than to question their leader. Nayru gasped as Link and the unnamed warrior began a lightning-fast series of attacks against each other.

"You will _not_ touch Lady Nayru." Link hissed, his sword shining even brighter. Flipping it around in his hands, the boy cleaved the sword around horizontally. A massive flare blossomed into existence as his sword connected. "Heh."

"**Did you really think that would be enough to beat me?**" the knight with the black sword asked, laughing cruelly. "**Ragnell is mighty, but so am I.**" Link swore as he leaped backwards and steadied himself. After an instant's thought, he raised a hand and pointed at the knight. A bolt of pure light shot out and dissipated against the man's armor.

"Crap…"

Nayru turned to face the knights.

"Believe!" she urged. "Believe in me. Believe in your Captain! If you do, I can push them back!" the soldiers needed no encouragement. The Captain of the Seraphia Mage-Knights had picked each and every one of them with his own hand, from every corner of the country. They had become the most elite fighting force the nation had in less than two years. He was the greatest, and they all knew it!

Nayru smiled as she felt energy flowing into her. The Goddess took a deep breath. Their faith in their leader was strong. They would follow Link to the underworld and back if he asked them to… no, even if he told them _not_ to follow. They trusted him so much that because he had said to trust in her, they did. Nayru raised her hands.

"_Portal to distant lands, hear my words, the words of Nayru, and know them as Law._" The Goddess intoned. Ganon swore as he heard and wasted no time in dragging his soldiers back through the portal. He knew her power, what she was capable of, and wasn't about to let himself be caught, no matter how infuriating it was to retreat. He was evil, after all, not stupid. "_Close thyself to Ganon and his soldiers, and open never again for him or his men unless by my command. Hear my words, portal to distant lands, and know them as your Law! Close thyself!_" the portal gave out a horrible scream as it vanished. Nayru smiled weakly and took one step, then two, before tumbling down into the arms of Link. "Did I… do it?"

"You did." The Mage-Knight replied quietly. "You did." Nayru smiled as she dropped from exhaustion.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

From the stone tablet that held the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, in case you were wondering.

AN's: Am I being too nice to Nayru? I mean, with all of this, I really do need to make her fortune worse. Oh well, you people should at least review and tell me if the story has perked your interest or not.

As for why I decided to write this, I just got bored of too few fics featuring the Goddesses as being actually important. XD And so here we are. To help alleviate confusion, the great sea seen in Wind Waker has long since subsided, so there is actually land again. Countries rose up, but were eventually crushed by the returned Ganon, who has appointed regents to rule them while he focuses on searching for Nayru and the Triforce of Wisdom.

After all, Ganon isn't stupid. XD Very evil, yes, but _not_ stupid.

As for Nayru's power, it said in Ocarina of Time that Nayru was the one who gave the spirit of law to the land. At least, I'm pretty sure it was her… Anyways, it makes sense, then, that things will obey her if she gives them a Law to follow. This takes energy, however, so she will not be able to do it without a great deal of support. Pity her if people turn away. Whistles innocently

I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!


	2. The Test of Power

Chapter Two: The Test of Power

_Nayru stumbled as she ran through the forest, but kept running. Laughter, the laughter of that cursed Ganon, echoed from every side._

"_You silly little girl! I am Ganon, the Dark King! You are powerless!" his voice roared. Though tears began filling up her eyes, Nayru kept running._

"_Nayru, help us!" Din's voice called. "Before it's too late!"_

"_You must free us!" Farore's voice continued. Nayru stopped and turned around. Ganon was standing ten feet behind her, Din and Farore on their hands and knees beside him. He was holding chains that were attached to the collars around their necks. "Please, Nayru! Help us!" Ganon laughed and kicked Farore in the side before lifting the girl up by her collar. The Goddess of Courage gasped for air._

"_Where is your courage now?" Ganon asked, viciously kissing the green-haired girl. "Where is your precious Link, your bearer of Courage?" laughing, he dropped Farore to the ground, then forced Din to press her face into the dirt with his foot. "Look around us, Goddess of Wisdom. There is nobody here to rescue you. Or to rescue these two wretches."_

_Nayru looked in every direction. But no matter where she turned or how fast she did it, Ganon was always in front of her. Finally, she summoned forth her power and launched the most powerful blast she could at the man who had once been King of the Gerudo Thieves. Ganon did not even bother deflecting the attack; he simply caught it and crushed it._

_Smiling, Ganon lifted up Din and grabbed her neck. "You are helpless, Goddess of Wisdom. You have few believers and even less power. You could barely shut my portal, and you know that will only slow me down. I am coming for you, and when I am there, I will break you like I have broken your friends." Din and Farore obediently wrapped their arms around Ganon and kissed him on the cheek; one on each side. "I will enjoy that."_

Nayru woke up sweating and looked around desperately. Finally, she remembered. She was safe… mostly… in Seraphia, the land Ganon hadn't yet conquered. She had created a Minor Law and managed to prevent Ganon from using transport portals.

Sighing, the girl shook her head and headed to the bathroom for a quick soak. Goddess or not, no girl liked to be all sweaty and sticky in the mornings, and she was no exception.

Feeling much better afterwards, and fully clothed once again, Nayru stepped out into the morning hall. It was about… nine, she thought, smiling. Time for breakfast. Making her way through the mostly quiet castle, the girl pushed open one of the large doors to the Dining Hall and stepped inside.

Everybody fell quiet as she entered.

"Knights! Stand!" somebody barked. Fifty people stood up from their table. "Bow!" he and his forty-nine partners executed a deep bow to her.

"There's no need for that." Nayru said, smiling gently. "Goddess I might be, but I have never wanted people to bow to me just because of that."

"They aren't." the King said, chuckling. "They wish to show their respect for the one who saved Seraphia and their Captain. This land and their commander are everything to the Mage-Knights, so them showing respect like this is no small gift." Nayru blinked as she looked over at him, then turned, clasped her hands together, and bowed to the Mage-Knights herself.

"I thank you for the honor you have given me." She said as another door opened somewhere. "And pray that I will be able to give as much to you someday." The Mage-Knights straightened, sat down, and began eating again. After a moment, Nayru realized that a boy of nine years or so was standing next to her. "Hello." The Goddess said, looking down at him. The boy stared at her for a few seconds, then punched her as hard as he could in the stomach.

"Your Majesty!" the King said, sounding scandalized.

"Oh shut up, you old geezer. I'm supposed to believe that this girl's some great Goddess who's going to defeat Ganon?" the boy replied as Nayru clutched her stomach. She looked nothing like the mystical Goddess she was. "Dream on!" Nayru winced slightly as Link came over, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "Prince Adam's a bit… stubborn." Nayru nodded as she looked up at the King. "That's Regent Miem, Adam's uncle. Technically, our young Prince rules the land, but all the actually work is done by Miem." Nayru nodded as she sat down on a bench. For such a little squirt, the Prince hit _hard_!

"And you!" Adam roared, looking at Link. The Captain sighed. Oh, great, this would be good for his reputation. "Have you gone completely mad? You, of all people, claiming that a blue-haired chit is an ancient Goddess? I thought better of you!" Link sighed, stood up, and faced the young boy. After a second of thought, he lifted the boy up with magic and hauled him over until they were face to face.

"_Prince_ Adam, Lady Nayru is indeed a Goddess of Hyrule. Namely, the Goddess of Wisdom, which seems to be something you could use a bit more of." He snarled. "It is, in fact, thanks to her that you're still here in your castle and not in some far-off torture chamber. Now, you need to act like the royalty you are and humbly _apologize_ to Lady Nayru." He dropped the boy unceremoniously onto the floor. The boy just snorted.

"I will do no such thing." He replied, stomping towards his throne. "She's just a silly little girl." Nayru grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him back. Had she been nearly anyone else, the entire kingdom would probably have cried out in outrage. But since everyone _else_ in the room accepted that she was a Goddess, and Goddesses were higher than Princes, nobody seemed especially bothered.

Smiling, Nayru turned the boy around and hugged him.

"What're you doing? Get off me, you ugly little peasant!" the boy yelled, thrashing back and forth. Nayru just smiled and continued to hold him.

"I think you just need some care and love." She said, smiling. Adam groaned. Against someone so nice, he was all but powerless. She wasn't fazed at _all_ by his attitude! What kind of a freak was she? Amused whispers broke out through the great hall and, not sure whether to be pleased or not, Nayru felt their faith in her grow.

Did it really take a Goddess to deal with Adam? She didn't even want to think about what he had been like before.

"Now…" Nayru said, letting go of Adam. The boy immediately left the hall. "After breakfast, Captain, are you available for a little test?" Link raised an eyebrow. "For the prophecy to come true, you _do_ have to pass a few tests, remember? Thankfully, I have the right to give them." She snickered. It was always fun watching the Link go through his paces no matter how badly things were going. And she hadn't gotten to watch him do a test for over a thousand years.

"I'm already prepared." The Mage-Knight said, standing up and grasping his sword. Nayru smiled. A moment later, she and all the others in the hall were transported to the nearest beach. Many of the people who had still been eating complained, of course, but they could always finish later. "So what's the task?"

"That's easy. You just need to fight something." Nayru replied, hiding a wide grin. Link paused.

"Wait, the test of Power is _first_? I thought the order was always Courage, Wisdom, Power…" he began.

"Afraid?" Nayru asked, sliding up to him and grinning.

"You wish." Link replied, pulling out his sword. Nayru walked into the ocean until she was knee-deep and began singing softly. Link had never heard a tune like it. The song was otherworldly, and filled with more power than he would ever know. The thought did not comfort him; he was supposed to be the best. He might have agreed to serve Nayru, but his ego certainly wasn't faring very well. She didn't even look like she thought this was the slightest strain.

The ocean bulged. There was no other word for it. From the bulge erupted the head of a creature over a mile long. Link stared. His Goddess had just called up a Kraken? Oh, this was _not_ going to be fun.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" one of his soldiers screamed.

"Calm down!" Link barked at him. "That is a Kraken, a giant squid from the deepest depths of the ocean! When they surface, they can appear to be entire islands, or even island chains. They're one of the most dangerous creatures of the sea." He faced the creature again and drew Ragnell from its sheath.

Without a second thought, the Captain of the Mage-Knights launched forward. There was one big advantage he had over the creature; he was quite small when compared to it, and the beast wouldn't hit him that easily.

Or so he thought, before dozens of tentacles slammed down around him. One even clipped his left foot. Noting the sudden tensing of the tentacles, the warrior used his magic to make a leap that would take him out of the line of fire.

That _had_ worked. Had he been the slightest bit slower, the paralyzing ink would have frozen him in place. And then he would have been an easy target. Grumbling under his breath, the warrior headed towards his target.

Cutting chunks off of the beast would not do a thing. It would be like poking it with the finest needle imaginable. Link doubted he could even seriously injure the massive creature no matter how hard he hit it; it was too big. If he was going to win, then he needed to get the creature to return to its home. The best way to do that… the warrior smirked and held out a hand.

"Primal power, answer my call. Bring down the wrath of the heavens upon my target and send it back to whence it came. Terra Bolt!" He quickly chanted. There was a bright flash of light from miles above him, then a massive bolt of lightning crashed into the creature's head. An inhuman scream pierced his ears and forced the warrior to his knees. That noise!

The Kraken began thrashing around wildly in pain. Okay, that had not been a good idea. If he was alone, he could have repeated the stunt and perhaps beaten the beast, but there were people watching. Nayru was watching. He couldn't let them get hurt no matter how much he wanted to win.

He ran through his options. Paralysis was out of the question. While he certainly knew the spell, he didn't have the power to do it on something this _big_, and definitely not after using a Terra Bolt. Water magic was completely out of the question; Krakens were immune to it. Fire would do little good, Wind was pointless, and Lightning would only make it madder. Darkness was where it thrived. Wait, that was it!

Link chuckled as he ran towards the creature's head. Krakens were sensitive to light! If he made the area around its eyes bright enough, it would leave! The only reason the beast was still here was because it was early morning.

A globe of darkness enveloped the entire Kraken a moment later, turning the inside into a dim, dim twilight. The creature relaxed almost instantly. Link swore. What was this, some new trick of Nayru's? He couldn't see past the edge of the barrier!

"**Wouldn't that be nice, if it was a little trick of the Goddess?**" a familiar voice said. Link whirled around. The black-armored warrior from the day before was standing there, his sword resting against the creature's skin. Link looked longingly at Alondite. That sword was his, dangit! "**Aww, missing this sword? Defeat me and you can have it!**" he lifted his blade and, with one hand, swung it _upwards_ in a move no sane swordsman would ever make from that position.

A bolt of darkness flew out of the sword and cut Link's shoulder deeply. Well, that confirmed it. Alondite approved of this partner… and that meant quite a bit. Most importantly, however, was that he had his work cut out for him.

"Holy light, envelop me in your embrace and seal my wounds with your purifying rays." He whispered. His wounds closed. The boy wasted no time in launching at his opponent. "Do you have the courtesy to tell me your name?" the capable warrior asked as he let loose a furious barrage of strikes.

Every blow was turned aside with ease.

"**My true name is not for your ears to hear. My master calls me his shadow, so that name will be fine.**" The warrior who held Alondite replied. Chuckling lowly, Shadow brought his sword down hard on top of Link's. The warrior of light winced as he felt the power of the blow. "**And I'd heard so much about you from my master. The Commander of Seraphia's Mage-Knights. Unmatched in magic strength, peerless in swordsmanship among mortals. I can't imagine how he was ever impressed by you!**" Shadow brought his blade down again, so hard this time that Link's legs actually sunk into the Kraken. Naturally, the small wound was not even felt by the beast, which had decided to take a nap.

Link leaped out of the hole and landed nearly twenty feet away, chanting furiously under his breath. His spell was interrupted as Shadow, moving once more with impossible speed, rushed over and hit him across the chest with the flat of his blade. Ragnell flashed, and a prismic barrier enveloped the dark warrior. Exuding an aura of curiosity, Shadow smacked the barrier with his sword. It didn't even dent.

"**Aah… You do have some talent after all.**"

"Power of the ancients, hear my cry. Let the Light of Judgment flow down from the heavens and into my hand." Link began chanting.

Shadow froze. He knew that spell, all right, and it was not one he wanted to be hit by. This puny little brat knew Ancient Magic?

"Flow with sacred energy and burst out onto my enemies." Link continued. Roaring, his opponent slammed into the barrier that held him as hard as he could. This time, it broke. "You're too late!" Link roared as he threw a hand forward. Light erupted out of it in a torrential blast, turning the dim twilight into high noon.

The Kraken screamed and dived. Leaping off, Link landed on the beach and staggered. He had paid the price for using that kind of power; his right arm had been totally blackened by the power it had just experienced.

"Are you all right?" Nayru asked, bending down by her champion. Link managed a weak smile. "You're not! I-I shouldn't have put you through that, a Kraken was too much---"

"I'm fine." Link replied, wincing as his injured arm throbbed. "I beat the thing, along with the knight who holds Alondite."

"**Did you?**" the voice of Shadow asked. Link whirled around. There was no sign of the evil knight. "**Did you really?**"

Nayru sighed. So Ganon could still send at least one minion. One very, very powerful minion. Ooh, this was terrible! At least Link had passed the test, but his sword arm would need a lot of work before the next trial. And that would take time… time they didn't have.

A red pendant fell out of the air and hit Link on the head half an instant later. Well, at least he had passed the test; there were no doubts about that. Nayru smiled gently. The Test of Power had been completed to the satisfaction of the Ancient Magic that governed such things.

Link picked up the pendant, rubbing his head, and slipped the item over his neck. He stood up a moment later and took a deep drink from a bottle that hung at his side. The liquid, Nayru saw, amused, was red.

_Din… would be proud._ She thought, a bit sadly. _The Link faced an incredible foe and drove it away. He survived his encounter with that Knight… But where have I met that guy before? Something's not right here, and I really wish I knew what._

Taking a breath, the Goddess opened her eyes to the flow of magic in the world. When seen through her mystic eyes, the world could be a very different place. People appeared not as they did in normal sight, but as the people they truly were. Off in the distance, so many hundreds of miles away, Nayru could still see the immense shadow that was Ganon. His darkness truly had no limits.

The Goddess turned her gaze to Link. His spiritual form was almost exactly like his normal form… that is, he resembled the Hero of Time so very much. His eyes, though. Nayru swallowed. There was a beast inside of him… That was something she had never encountered before.

"My lady?" Link asked, breaking off the Goddesses train of thought. Her vision returned to normal sight, Nayru stared at him. He… seemed normal. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no…" Nayru said quickly, waving a hand. "It's nothing. You did excellently, Captain." She smiled her brightest smile. "I have the feeling that you'll pass the other two tests just as excellently. Now, it is time for us all to return." Nayru lifted up her hand and everybody was returned to the dining hall.

With that, the Goddess called Nayru once again turned around and left the hall. Things really were starting to look up. One of the three tests had been completed successfully, people believed in her once more, and there was an army in training that would be able to destroy the one Ganon had.

Having gone through so much lately, this pleased the Goddess to no end. How quick fate was to change when she really needed it to! Sighing in happiness, the Goddess stepped out into the gardens of the castle.

Said gardens were widely said to be not only the most beautiful place in Seraphia, but the whole world now that Ganon had destroyed every other place like it for his own sheer pleasure. The Sacred Glade, as it was known, was a huge circle inside of the castle filled with nothing but nature. Even the path was dirt. At the center of the place was a huge waterfall that never stopped pouring out water; but the lake beneath it never overflowed. Magic, of course. There were glens, trees, bushes of flowers, and everything else one could want here.

Nayru did prefer the deep ocean herself, of course, being of Water as well as Wisdom, but this was a very nice place as well. She smiled. After a few minutes of walking around and breathing in the delightful scents, the Goddess realized that someone else was present. She looked up. Somebody was sitting on one of the rocks that directed the flow of water.

"Hello." Nayru said, smiling up at the figure. It… or he, Nayru amended… stayed quiet. "Can I help you?"

"You are Nayru." It was no question, no query. It was a simple statement of fact.

"Yes, I am." The Goddess said, still smiling. "What are you doing all the way out here this early in the morning?" the figure, face and body still obscured by mist, laughed. He laughed and continued laughing. "Gee, I didn't know I was so funny…" Nayru muttered, a bit annoyed.

"I bring a gift." The figure said, leaping down to touch the ground. For a moment, Nayru was taken aback. There was something familiar about him, too! What in the world was going on around here? Before she could even open her mouth again, the Goddess found herself thrown backwards into a tree. The man was in front of her, pinning her by her neck, before she even started to fall. "From Ganon, my master." Nayru's eyes widened as a blade pierced her stomach and pinned her to the tree. "He sends his greetings, Goddess Nayru, and told me to tell you that if you surrendered now and gave yourself up to me, he would spare you. Death here on this tree, or servitude to him for the rest of eternity. Which will it be?"

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Reviews are never required, but always appreciated.


	3. Never Underestimate a Clown

Chapter Three: Never Underestimate a Clown

Nayru stared her attacker in the eye. "I would rather die than serve Ganon. But I will be doing neither this day." Blue light shimmered into a prismic barrier around her, throwing back the attacker and his weapon. Nayru smiled gently. "I may be weak, but I am still a Goddess. Your blade is nothing but steel. And no simple metal, no matter how hard or how sharp, will hurt me."

True. Only weapons with extremely powerful enchantments could hurt or kill her. There were definitely perks to being divine.

"Now return to where you came from, soldier. If I really wanted to, I could destroy you with a flick of my hand."

False. She had nowhere near that much power after activating a favored spell of hers; the impenetrable Nayru's Love.

The soldier merely chuckled and bowed.

"As you wish, milady. Oh, and by the way… you might want to get your dress fixed." The soldier bowed and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Nayru looked down to find that one of her shoulder straps had been neatly severed. Frowning, she pulled it back up.

_When did he… That's not possible. What has Ganon been _doing_ while I've been traveling?_

The answer to that was, of course, the exact same thing he was doing now. Many advisors had questioned Ganon's choice of residence. Said advisors had become food for his Re-Dead army. For his throne, Ganon had decided to stay in Hyrule Castle itself. The place was nothing but ruins, of course. Only a few rooms were entirely whole, and his bedroom was not one of them.

Ages ago, the chained and ragged girl had been known as the Goddess Din, mistress of Fire and Power. Now, however, she just watched morbidly as Ganon continued his foul enchantments on the other side of the bed, her name all but lost in the mists of time. Ganon talked freely to her about what he was doing and what he had learned. Not out of any sort of power rush he got from it, though he did, but because he simply enjoyed telling her every little detail of the black arts he performed.

Their relationship had been a very long one. As the Goddess of Power, Din was very much aware of how Ganon had abused her piece of the Triforce throughout history, even more so then Nayru and Farore. The man craved her formidable abilities, and had stopped at nothing to acquire them. And acquire he had.

The common folk did not understand what it meant to bear a piece of the Triforce. It was more then a magical object that granted a wish. Each piece, when held by someone, would allow that person the use of the Goddess' power. She, Din, had had to suffer Ganon constantly draining her to increase his own might. He would suck her almost dry, then let her replenish herself so he could suck out all that power again. And it hurt.

At that moment, a puff of smoke interrupted her thoughts and heralded the return of one of Ganon's foul creations. Azrak, the soldier in question, had been given several abilities by Ganon. He could teleport, and the small knives he through could shear through nearly anything. Azrak kneeled on the floor before his Lord.

"Everything went as you predicted, my lord." The soldier said, laying his blade down in front of his creator. Din saw traces of Nayru's magic on it. He hadn't… he couldn't have! "She threw me away by erecting her barrier. My dagger pierced it."

"Was she injured?" Ganon hissed.

"No, my lord. I was under the impression you wanted her in one piece and unmarked, judging from the state of Din." Azrak replied. Ganon chuckled.

"Excellent. Yes, if at all possible, I want to have all three of them uninjured." He walked over to Din. "You see, if injured, then they are practically too weak to be of any use to me. They need to have _some_ power that I can take." He kissed Din's lips and began drawing power out of her.

The Goddess screamed in mental agony as her power rushed out of her. This was nothing like when the Hero of Time used the enchantments of Farore, drawing on the magic she allotted him, or when that one's Zelda had used her arcane arts against this man, magic she performed with Nayru's blessing. Ganon was ripping out every bit of power he wanted from her very core, not caring in the least what it did to her.

"Now, now, my dear child." Ganon said, quite amused as he pulled back. "It's not all that bad. Why, I feel great!" he pecked her on the lips again, this time just for amusement, and turned back to Azrak as Din took several slow, shallow breaths and lay where she was, silently weeping. "Hmm… Where was I?"

"Keeping them uninjured." Azrak replied. Ganon nodded and went to a cauldron that lay by his side of the bed. "Are there any materials you need, my lord?"

"No, no, I have all I need." Ganon said dismissively. "Go have some fun or whatever." He flapped a hand. Azrak vanished in a puff of smoke. Ganon held a hand over the portal and began chanting. Din closed her eyes. Normal people wouldn't have been affected by his words, of course. But she was no normal person. She was a Goddess, and so even hearing the foul language Ganon was using hurt her. Which was why he did it around her, of course.

Ganon had learned a lot in his time in the Dark Realm, actually. He had fumed and stewed and raged against his captivity, of course, and who could blame him? But while there, the man had also sat himself down and read. Most people could hardly imagine the great King of Evil reading, but he had.

There was no light reading involved. If it had been that, Din knew she wouldn't be in this predicament. No Ganon had not just read, but studied. Obsessively, he had studied dozens of tomes of the blackest arts to exist. Spells and rituals that would summon up demons, enchantments to warp life into new forms. Even powers that could steal the very essence of a Goddess.

The use of any one of these arts would probably have killed a mortal man. But Ganon was no longer mortal. He had been exposed to so much power from the Triforce of Power by carrying it for so long, and so much of Din's essence by sucking it out of her, that he was almost a God in his own right now. So the dark magic he used obeyed him.

Din watched at the skeleton of a child was dropped into the cauldron. The darkest sort of power flowed into the cauldron and took effect. Out of it rose a bird, of all things. This bird was as black as night, with eyes that shone with cursed fire. Ganon smiled, picked up the creature, and walked around the bed to bend down by Din.

"Do you like my new pet?" the Gerudo King asked, stroking the creature's feathered head as he brought it within inches of Din's face. The girl twisted her body in a vain attempt to get away from it. The slightest touch from one of his creatures caused her more pain than any time he had ripped power out of her. While not a Goddess of Light, Din was still very much on the side of Good. Ganon's creatures could not have been more opposed to here.

Once upon a time, she could have destroyed the creature just by looking at it. But now… now she feared even the smallest, the weakest of his creations. Oh, how far she had fallen.

"I'll take that as a no." Ganon said laughing as he stood up and walked over to the window. "Take this message to General Shomar: 'Advance your army around the west side of Seraphia and wait for further instructions.' He is on the northwest side of that pathetic little land. After you deliver the message, return here."

"You got it, boss man!" the bird chirped as it took off out the window. Ganon smirked as the creature flew off and turned back to his chained Goddess.

"Don't you just love the wonders that _power_ can produce?" he asked, laughing. Din only glared at him and wondered what had made him this twisted. Ganon smiled as he saw her black look. "Ah, now there's an expression that I like on you. Hatred, fear, all the good things." He moved back to his cauldron. Din took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"You don't know the meaning of the word power." The Goddess said. Ganon stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her.

"You're talking. That's unusual." He commented. Din opened her eyes and stared at him.

"You are nothing but a weak little man. For all your skill in arcane arts, for all your fighting prowess, you still haven't figured out what power really is. You never found out why the Link always defeated you." Din continued. Ganon snarled. Inwardly, Din found this quite amusing. She still had some control over this man, because she knew his weaknesses.

"Don't. Ever. Mention. That. Name." Ganon snarled.

"Link. Link link link link LINK." Din replied. Ganon's eyes flashed dangerously. The Goddess knew she was going to pay for this, but it was worth it. "Are you still afraid of the incarnation? Maybe it's because you know the Ancient Magic, Gerudo. You know that you are fated to fall because of him."

To her shock, Ganon laughed as he sat down on the bed and gripped her chin.

"'Fated to fall'? Oh, please. What are you trying to do, make me laugh to death? I have the Triforce of Courage, Din. Your dear friend's Laws state that he must bear that if he is to truly be the instrument of your will. And it seems to me that he doesn't." Din spat in Ganon's face. Petty, but effective. Slowly, Ganon wiped it off with his sleeve.

"You didn't read the rest, then." Din said, smiling. Ganon smacked her almost as hard as he could, nearly tearing the enchanted chains to pieces in the process.

"Act as cocky as you like." Ganon snarled as Din curled up in a ball. "But when this day is over, Nayru will be at my feet begging for mercy, and your _Link_ will be nothing but a fading memory. Do you know what I am going to do when all three of you are in my possession?"

Din shook her head.

"I am going to do to all of you what I've been doing to just you, _Goddess_ of _Power_. I am going to take the power of all three of you. And after that, I am going to make a wish upon the Triforce. Want to know what it is?" he breathed on the girl's neck as she struggled to get away. "I won't have the world remade the way I want it to be. Because hard work has already accomplished that wish. Just a few loose ends to tie up before this world is eternally dark. I am going to wish you and your dear, dear friends back to your full strength, but have you obey my will for the rest of time and beyond. I will continually suck you three dry of every bit of power you have. Every day, I will rip your spirits apart, and grow only more powerful, while you remain the same day after day. That is the fate that awaits you, my dear Din."

"**I realize that you are most interested in whispering sweet nothings to that Goddess, but I have a situation to report.**" A low voice said. Ganon hissed in irritation.

"My Shadow, I am busy torturing Din by explaining to her exactly what I am going to do to her in the future." The Evil King said, sighing. "This had better be good."

"**Oh, it's good all right. You'll probably want to kill me for not interrupting you sooner.**" Shadow continued. Ganon was not stupid. He was merely Ultimate Evil Incarnate. Torturing his lovely Goddess could wait; it wasn't like he was limited in the amount of time he had to do it in. He would make it even worse because of this interruption, though. His Shadow was not one who would interrupt him lightly. This probably _was_ something he needed to take care of.

They still called her Farore. Even the mortal guards did. But her name had lost its meaning and was now nothing more than a name. The girl was moderately well off, actually. A maidservant around Ganon's castle, she was allowed some measures of freedom. This girl knew, however, that it was nothing but Ganon's way of showing contempt for her power. He had chained Din to his _bed_, after all, and who knew what he was doing to her?

But here she was, the Goddess of Courage and Wind, scrubbing the floor of the audience hall. It was downright embarrassing that he thought so little of her. Farore grumbled under her breath. That Link, he had better use her blessing wisely and come free Din and her soon. She didn't know how much longer she could take this kind of humiliation.

It didn't help that Ganon's underlings were starting to express a romantic interest in her, either. That was just… Eew.

Back in Seraphia, Nayru sighed as she relaxed in her bedroom. She was nearly drained again. Hoping that at least _one_ of her followers would pray soon, she stared out the window and sighed.

"Lo! What troubles you, my lady?" a flippant voice asked from below. Nayru looked down to see an outrageously dressed man standing there. She had never seen anyone quite like this before. He was wearing a floppy hat that had to be more than four feet in diameter, and clothes of the most blatantly mismatched colors possible. Orange and lime green? Where was his sense of fashion? "If you are perchance feeling the woes of romance, perhaps I can be of assistance."

Nayru laughed, suddenly feeling much better.

"Nothing so simple, I'm afraid." She replied. "Though it is very kind of you to offer. I am nearly out of energy, and there is little I can do but wait." the man raised a hand, then paused. "Hmm?"

"Energy, eh? One moment!" the man said. Mystified, Nayru watched as the man climbed straight up the wall and hopped in her windowsill. "Noga Shemesh, at your service. Jester, Merchant, Bodyguard, I can do it all, and at good rates no less. I'll go anywhere to find you, and go anywhere to deliver for you, as long as the price is right." Nayru sat down on her bed as the man took off his hat and bowed to her. "To restore your tired spirit and weary bones, I have these special potions." Winking, the man put his hat back on and showed her his empty hands, then put his palms together. When he spread them again, sitting there were several different potions. Three of them Nayru recognized, since the Link had often used the Red, Green, and Blue ones (privately, she had always been pleased that the one associated with her color, blue, had always been the strongest), but the rest she had never seen before. "Aah, does the lady's eye see something she likes?"

Nayru laughed again. "You are indeed most impressive, Lord Noga. Unfortunately, what ails me is no disease, or physical exhaustion or magical depletion. It is much worse, I'm afraid." Noga frowned at her as Nayru drank a little from her pitcher of water.

"Hmm… Tough little lady to sell things to, eh?" he said. "I've never failed to make a sale, milady. What would you like." He began pulling out objects as he named them. "A bouquet of roses to make your heart fly? Or would you prefer this little golden-feathered dove, sure to charm you every time it sings? Candy? Clothing? Perhaps a piece of the Triforce will do." The water that was in Nayru's mouth was instantly sprayed all over Noga. "Aah, she likes it." Noga said, holding up the small golden triangle as the water dripped down his face.

"How… when… what…" the girl sputtered, unable to form a complete sentence. What the man was holding was no fake. But how had he managed to acquire the Triforce of Courage, of all things? She'd been sure Ganon had kept that on himself! Noga smiled as he set the priceless artifact down in Nayru's hand.

"A cute girl with green hair by the name of Farore begged me to steal this and bring it to you. Can't refuse a lady's request, after all." The man said, winking at Nayru. The Goddess and girl stared down at the object in her hands. It was glowing softly, resonating with the Triforce of Wisdom she still had. "Payment has already been delivered. One kiss on the cheek from Farore in exchange for one theft and delivery."

Nayru just blinked as the man pulled off his hat once more, bowed, and vanished.

"Oh, Farore…" Nayru whispered. "You always were so very brave. Thank you."

In Ganon's castle, Farore sneezed quite cutely.

"Ugh… Someone call?" the girl asked, looking up as she wiped her nose. There was no response. "Aaw… And I thought the Hero of Time had come for me already." The girl pouted before getting back to scrubbing the floor. "Stupid hero…"

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Farore also gives out kisses for reviews. 'Nuff said.

Side note: Notice the new line breakers? If not, tell me, because they're probably not showing up!


	4. Farore Has A Plan? Since When?

Chapter Four: Farore Has A Plan? Since When?

General Shomar of the Horde of Darkness was an interesting man, some thought. Those some were immediately thrown out of wherever they were because they were very wrong. General Shomar was quite boring to be around, when the truth was told. However, his troops were loyal to a fault. It wasn't that they liked him, it was just that he was very good at what he did.

But he was still boring.

And so it was that his troops set out to circle around part of that wretched little country of Seraphia. Disgusting place. All green hills and glittering lakes and white cities. It was so _ugly_! They'd rather have blackened skies and scorched earth anyways. They were undead, after all.

Which was the other reason why they obeyed the general. They were too dumb to do otherwise.

But he was still boring.

Nayru, on the other hand, was not at all bored or boring. She had gotten a good night's rest and since many of her followers had prayed, she'd managed to fix her dress and regain some badly needed energy. The power of faith was truly incredible.

"Caaaaaaaaaptain!" the Goddess hollered, wandering through the halls. Oh, where was he when you really wanted to talk to him? She needed to give him the Triforce of Courage before something else happened!

"Yes?" Link asked, his head popping down from a hole in the ceiling.

"Eep!" Nayru squeaked out. Then she paused. "Why are you hanging from the ceiling by your legs?"

"Repair work. Magic's great and all, but there's nothing more trustworthy than a job you do yourself." The Captain of the Mage-Knights said, going back to hammering in a long plank. Nayru chose not to ask why he of all people was doing it.

Wasn't much point, really. Besides, it didn't matter _that_ much.

"Are you done yet?" a young voice asked. Nayru turned around to see Prince Adam standing there. "Oh, hello." The boy added, seeing Nayru standing there. Immediately, he punched her in the stomach. Nayru doubled over, wincing in pain. "Still can't take a punch, huh?"

"_ADAM_..." Link said threateningly. The Prince stuck his tongue out and kept on walking. "…He will pay for that, my lady."

"Don't… bother…" Nayru gasped out. "I can handle it." she took a painful breath and held out her hand. "Captain… I have something very important that you need to take." Link flopped back down and looked at her, confused. Nayru held up a glimmering golden triangle.

What happened next was out of her control, of course. As soon as the artifact of infinite courage was unveiled, it shot across the space between the two and embedded itself in Link's left hand. The mark of the Triforce appeared there, the lower-right triangle darker than the other two. Nayru smiled. He was accepted.

"What…" Link began, looking at his hand. "You…" Nayru smiled up at him.

"Thank Farore. She arranged it."

"_Achoo!"_

Link blinked, thinking he had just heard someone very cute sneeze. Nayru chuckled as she left, leaving the warrior hanging there. Things were going great!

Link merely sighed as one of the Goddesses he owed allegiance to left, going off to do divine things or whatever. This was the Triforce of Courage, huh? For something of all but infinite power, it sure didn't seem like much.

The boy cracked his knuckles and headed outside via the main entrance. Something in the air wasn't right anyways. It was… rotten. He wrinkled his nose.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT?" Ganon roared, slamming Farore into his bedroom's sturdiest wall. Said wall burst apart under the impact as the green-haired Goddess let out a small scream of pain. "WHERE DID YOU PUT THE TRIFORCE OF COURAGE?"

"I… didn't… touch it!" the girl gasped out. Ganon snarled and threw her against another wall as a horrified Din watched, unable to do anything. He knew that the girl wasn't lying; he'd erected spells even a Goddess couldn't overpower because of this. She was telling the truth!

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS?" the Evil King continued, striding over to Farore.

"N-no!" the girl gasped out.

"**My lord, if I may… The Triforce Pieces are an old, old magic. And perhaps Nayru, with her abilities, was somehow able to call it to her. If that is the case, then we must strike now against Seraphia with all our force, for she will surely have delivered it to the Captain of the Mage-Knights by now. Best to crush them all than let the Triforce of Courage spread roots.**" Ganon raised a finger.

"…No." he said decisively. "That would take too long; we'd have to cross the entire country and face no small share of problems to do it. It would be too slow. Go yourself, my shadow. Travel to Seraphia and kill the Captain of the Mage-Knights. Return to me with the Triforce of Courage, and if at all possible, that little chit Nayru and the Triforce of Wisdom."

"**As you command, my lord.**" Shadow kneeled and vanished. Once that warrior had gone, Ganon turned back to Farore and knelt down beside her.

"Farore, Farore, Farore." Ganon said, shaking his head as he stroked her cheek. "You are so defiant, but you don't understand that you are all but nothing to me. We have been against each other for a very long time, my dear girl. And now you are getting desperate. I know what you've been doing. I know you blessed that wretched Mage-Knight and made him believe in you so Nayru would seek him out. I know you've been manipulating my guests to make them pity you. You just don't understand." With that, Ganon lifted the girl up with one arm and threw her onto the side of the bed opposite Din. Chains sprang out and bound the girl in place. "Why don't you just… stay here for a little while, Goddess of Courage. I will give you the same treatment as Din." Laughing madly, the Gerudo King left.

"It's not worth it." Din whispered. Farore smiled.

"Don't worry so much, Din. It'll be fine. I found out who Shadow is, you know. That warrior is fated to lose to Link, because they cannot be opposed." Mystified, Din stared at her green-haired friend. Farore just grinned. "I just wish I could watch. Trust me, okay?"

Captain Link of the Seraphia Mage-Knights stared out across the land. After a number of quick transport spells, he had found the source of that _awful_ stench. As it turned out, it was not a real smell at all, but a magical one. He was a very magical being, and as such, could feel good or evil magic on instinct alone.

The amount of dark magic in the army in front of him was truly incredible. The boy wrinkled his nose again in distaste and turned to look at the soldiers he had brought with him.

"All right, listen up!" the boy roared. All of his soldiers became quiet and watched him. "It seems that the King of Hyrule, Ganon, has finally decided to make a move. On the other side of this hill, you will find an army like nothing you have ever imagined. Do not be afraid of Ganon's foul creations! They can be slain by sword or spell just like anything else! And you are the greatest fighting unit in the world! Now prepare yourselves for combat, because we are not going to let Ganon even get his troops into place! You have one minute before we strike!" his soldiers cheered. "Believe in yourselves, believe in your companions, and believe in Lady Nayru. Ganon will not be winning this day."

As fifty-one soldiers topped the rise, the ten thousand undead or so that comprised General Shomar's army turned ninety degrees to face them. Quite a few of the mortal soldiers trembled.

"Oy! Remember! One-on-one, there is no way we could possibly win. But we do not need to hold back on these creatures! They are an abomination to everything we hold dear! Now is the time to show Ganon why we are the greatest!" with that, the boy held out his arm, still a bit charred from his trial of power. The boy began whispering quickly under his breath. "—and purify my enemies. Solar Lance!" a long, narrow beam of light shot towards the thickest grouping of the enemy.

The spell never hit. It was stopped by a black blade. Link narrowed his eyes. What the heck was that Shadow person doing here anyways, and how had he gotten there? The boy hadn't even felt a sliver of teleport magic. Humph. Oh, well. He wouldn't get away so _easily_ this time.

"**Captain Link.**" Shadow's magically amplified voice called. "**I challenge you to single combat. If you win, General Shomar's army will not only retreat, but they will kill themselves permanently as well. If I win, I take your head.**"

"Done!" Link replied. His soldiers gasped. "Oh, come on, guys, don't you have _any_ faith in me at all?" they murmured apologies as Link walked to a point about halfway between the armies. Shadow met him there.

"**We know you now have the Triforce of Courage. I would ask you to just hand it over, but the command I was given was to kill you and take it. Nothing personal.**"

Link merely drew his blade and held it forward. Holy Ragnell pulsed as Alondite was brought up to meet it. Though obviously rivals, enemies, and champions of their side, the two were also wielders of blades. Even in this sort of circumstance, they would follow the code of combat.

Nobody said 'go', but both pulled back and launched a dizzying offensive at the other at the same time. The Seraphia Mage-Knights and General Shomar stared in awe as the two fighters almost danced back and forth, their blades weaving forward and back in a terrifying display of skill. To those fifty-one people, it was obvious that Link and that Shadow person were on an entirely different level of skill from them.

It had long been known, of course, that there were two kinds of experts in the world when it came to swords or spells. The first type trained all their life to become strong. The second were fated to be great, and mastered at an early age what they did beyond what the first type could ever achieve in their whole life.

Both of these warriors were fated to become strong, everyone with a complete brain knew. Probably so they could fight each other. Every man and woman viewing the fight took note of how fast each reacted, and how easily the other's blows were turned aside. General Shomar was a bit sickened by the speed; he preferred things to be slow and easy to follow. Very slow and very easy.

The Re-dead soldiers, of course, couldn't have cared less about what was going on. Nothing to do with them, after all.

"**You've gotten better, Captain. The Triforce of Courage must be taking root.**" Shadow hissed. Link narrowed his eyes as Ragnell turned aside attack after attack. It was true. He was suddenly better than he remembered. It was like someone was whispering into his ear what to do, and his body responded without being told by him. Was this something that always happened to those who bore the sacred golden triangle? "**But you're still not good enough to defeat _me_.**" Shadow held up his hand and a torrential blast of dark energy burst out of it and towards Link. When the dust from the explosion that happened next settled, Shadow found Link standing there, Ragnell held out with one hand.

"You forget, oh warrior. Ragnell feeds upon evil. The darker and more powerful your attack, the easier it will be for me to defeat." With that, the warrior cleaved Ragnell down diagonally and sent a massive wave of energy shooting towards Shadow. The black-clad warrior was thrown backwards and into the ground. Shadow did not move. "…We've played enough games. It's time to see who you really are." Keeping his blade at the ready, the boy snatched up Alondite and its sheath. The sword was sheathed a moment later. Eyes narrowed, Link bent down, keeping Ragnell at Shadow's throat.

Red circles appeared through the face-plate. Roaring, the armored warrior threw Link off of him and got to his feet. "**Do not ever touch my helmet, you pitiful boy!**" Link chuckled. "**My sword—**"

"Right here." Link said, smirking as he tapped his belt. Shadow hissed as Link pulled out the blade, still holding Ragnell in his right hand. So now he had both of the swords, as he was meant to.

"**Alondite, return to me!**" Shadow snapped. The sword tore itself out of Link's grasp, and the sheath unhooked itself from Link's belt. Both flew over and reattached themselves onto the powerful warrior. "**This blade is mine.**" Link swore. He'd been so close! He'd actually held Alondite in his hands! "**Now, shall we continue our dance?**" Shadow got into a fighting position. Link narrowed his eyes. A moment later, a dark aura appeared above them. Both looked up to find an enormous image of Ganon's head floating there. Eew, he was even uglier when magnified!

"HURRY UP!" the King of Hyrule roared. "STOP PLAYING GAMES AND KILL HIM!"

Shadow launched at Link. Eyes narrowed, the boy shimmered out of sight and reappeared behind his opponent. A helmet, cleaved off of its base by Ragnell was in his hands. Before the boy could turn to see his opponent's head, however, Shadow had vanished. The floating head let out a series of curses and vanished as well.

Link stared across the field as the re-dead soldiers suddenly collapsed and rose no more. Turning around, the boy walked back to his ever-faithful soldiers.

"Burn the bodies. Afterwards, return to your homes. Fate does not seem to want you to take part in this war. I'll handle it." the boy said, vanishing. His soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, but several hundred fire attacks were hurled into the masses of enemy dead. Or undead, whichever the case was. As flames filled the sky, most teleported back to their home towns. A few would go later, after they finished making sure the fire would stay put.

Ganon stared at Shadow's back. The warrior was huddled in darkness, face concealed.

"You wretched little thing." Ganon snarled, kicking Shadow in the back. The armor, which hadn't so much as scratched during the battle, dented. "You failed in your mission! By now, the Triforce of Courage has spread more than a root or two. It'll have totally bonded with him! And it's all your fault!" Ganon slammed a new helmet down on his warrior's head. "If you fail me aga… No, no, I'm not that nice. Give me your blade."

Shadow silently passed over Alondite. Ganon examined the sword for a long, long moment, then cleaved it downwards. The armor that held Shadow split in half, and the warrior inside tumbled to the floor, unhurt. Ganon casually threw the priceless blade over his shoulder, not caring what happened to it.

"I took you in when nobody else would. I gave you a home, food, power, servants, everything you could want. All in return for completing just a few tasks. But you are so pitiful you can't even do that, hmm? Well, my Shadow, I have just the thing to make you sorry you failed me."

The laughter of the Evil King echoed throughout Hyrule Castle.

Din and Farore shivered as they heard the entire proceeding. The two exchanged glances before Farore sighed.

"And I was so sure that Link would figure it out." The girl pouted. Din smiled gently. She wished she could comfort her friend with a warm hug, but seeing as they were both chained in place, that wasn't exactly possible. "Now I need to figure out how to… Oh." The girl's voice dropped to a whisper. "Din, gimmie some power!"

"Why?" Din whispered. Farore winked.

"You made the Land, and Nayru made the Law. Me, I just made the Life. Can't make anything new right now, of course, even if you gave me all of your power, but I _can_ restore a certain someone's heart." She explained. Din just stared at Farore. What in the world was this girl thinking, anyways? She didn't have the faintest idea what was going through her friend's mind!

However, Din trusted Nayru and Farore without question. Speaking no more, Din passed as much power as she could stand into her petite friend. Farore giggled.

"Soul of the warrior, legacy of ancient times, return yourself to your true state of being. Break through the barriers of darkness and blossom once more." The smallest of the Goddesses chanted. There was a bright flash from somewhere else in the castle, followed by a scream of rage and the crash of things being destroyed.

"Farore? Please, please, please tell me that you have a plan." Din said, closing her eyes. "Tell me that this is supposed to happen. Please?" Farore smirked.

"Sure is, Din! Ganon must be so pissed right now. He's so dense sometimes, you know. Getting chained up in here was all part of my plan." She giggled. "'Cuz two Goddesses are better than one and I was tired of scrubbing floors. Now I can nap _all_ day. Anyways, he just doesn't understand us, you see. We might be weakened, but we're still Goddesses. I know all about how to change the course of history."

Din wished, right then and there, that she could just hug Farore as tightly as was possible. She was so used to the Link coming to beat Ganon that she had entirely forgotten how resourceful Farore was. The little girl looked cute and kind of puny, but there was nobody more willing to take risks for what was right.

It was fitting, Din thought, smiling, for a Goddess of Courage to be able to step up and help her friends.

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Reviews make Din feel better. So send them in!


	5. No More Games

Chapter Five: No More Games

The dark-skinned man was known as Ganon, and he inspired just as much fear in people as he always had. He was _not_ Ganondorf the Gerudo King, and had not been for a long time. He was simply Ganon, the Evil King.

And at the moment, Ganon was mad. No, no, perhaps that's not the right way to put it. He was enraged. So much so that he wanted to go back to his room and kill both of the Goddesses in there. Just grab them by their scrawny little necks and shake them back and forth until they died! He had been angry in his life before, especially right after being defeated, but not like this.

For over fifteen hundred years he had fought against the Goddesses, who manipulated events from afar. Across the land of Hyrule, and in more distant territories, like Holodrum and Labrynna, across a huge span of time, he had fought to acquire the Triforce.

Always before, he had been stopped before completion by the Link. He had never even managed to get the Triforce of Courage before. But this time, he had. He had taken that infuriating object from the people! There couldn't have been a true Link if he possessed that item!

And now, it had been stolen, when the Evil King knew that Seraphia's terrifyingly powerful Mage-Knight Captain had been in his own land. If it had been him, the man could probably have dealt with this. It had even been expected, after all, that he would try to steal it. But no, it hadn't been him, it had been someone else! Even with his new powers, even with the fact that he was thousands of times stronger than the last time he had been out of the Dark Realm, someone had beaten him! And it hadn't been the Link!

This was not something the man was going to just pass off. In the past, he had waited for the Triforce of Courage to come to him; it was why he always let the Link run around doing whatever it was he did. Spelunking and all that. After all, the boy had no choice but to seek him out.

This time, however, Ganon was going himself. He would not wait for that boy to get stronger. He was not going to be stupid like he'd been before. Over a thousand more years of experience coursed through his veins from the last time. He was smarter now. The boy would simply die right now. No more minions, because they _always_ failed. Without exception. No armies, because somehow, that army would be defeated. It always was.

Just him. Only him. The King of Hyrule, the bearer of the Triforce of Power. The one who had beaten Goddesses into submission and servitude. Ganon. Evil.

He would go. And he would take what was rightfully his. And if Nayru tried to stop him, well, she would just feel his power again. He had nearly killed her the last time they had fought, after all, without even breaking a sweat.

It was time to end this once and for all.

There were flames. Darkness enveloped the land of Seraphia as Ganon rode in. The King of Evil did not exercise restraint. Who cared if the land was destroyed? The man simply blasted apart everything along the way to the city's capital.

When he reached it, as predicted, Nayru and Link were waiting for him. The Link did not waste time on words; he simply attacked as Nayru urged the soldiers behind her to pray and believe.

Ganon did not waste time playing around with the boy. He simply dismounted, walked forward, and threw the boy as hard as he could into a wall. The boy's neck broke instantly, killing him. He was, for all his power, just a little mortal after all. Without a moment's hesitation, Ganon took the brightly glowing Triforce of Courage from the quickly-cooling hand.

"Now, Nayru. Your little protector is out of the way, so…" Ganon began. Nayru was staring at Link's body, her mind too numb to grasp what was happening. Chuckling, Ganon walked over, grabbed her neck, and pulled her up to meet his face. "You. Have. Lost." He raised his other hand and fired out a crushing blast of magical energy over her shoulder. There was no explosion, oh no. The city in front of him simply vanished as Ganon erased its very existence.

"You… evil… man…" Nayru gasped out. "You… won't… get away… with this…" Ganon only laughed as he reached his free hand up and stroked the girl's cheek.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You are almost dead, Goddess of Wisdom. But don't worry! I'm not going to kill you. Like I told your dear friend Din, I'm going to wish you back to your full health and strength." He licked his lips. "But you will also be forced to obey me, Goddess. You and your friends will be mine forever." The Gerudo King laughed as he let go of her neck and instead used his arm to pull her tightly against him. With his other hand, he drew out the Triforce of Wisdom and set it below the Triforce of Power on his hand. "And I am making that wish… right… NOW." He held up his hand. Nayru shut her eyes. "Almighty Triforce! I wish for you to restore the Goddesses to their full power! And have them obey me for the rest of eternity!"

Reality cracked for an instant, and Nayru's head was suddenly filled with an almost lethal blast of pain. Then, as suddenly as it had occurred, it was gone. The girl felt Ganon let go of her.

"Now, Nayru! Bend down and kiss my feet!" Ganon ordered. The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, not moving. "KISS MY FEET!"

"No." the girl replied, confused. There was no way she was going to do that, but… why? She didn't feel any stronger, either. Ganon snarled.

"Triforce! Why has my wish not been granted?" the Gerudo King howled. There was no response. Furious, the Gerudo King turned to look at Nayru and held up a hand. _He_ was still quite powerful. Reality should have changed, but… it hadn't. What was going on? "Piece of Power! Bring Din and Farore to me!" the two Goddesses appeared on the ground in front of him, as weak as ever. Nayru immediately embraced both of them. "Urgh… Why… don't… I… have… unlimited… power?"

"Duh." A voice replied. "You don't have the Triforce of Courage." Ganon snarled and looked around. There was no one there. "You won't find me that way, Ganon. I'm not to where you are yet, you see. You made a grave error in choosing to kill off that incarnation of me. You opened the pathway."

Still enraged, the Gerudo King drew his sword.

"Come out." He hissed as the Goddesses scooted away from him. "Come out here, whoever you are. Wherever you are. I will show you the real meaning of strength." There was a flare of magic from in front of him. Slowly, someone stepped out. Nayru's eyes flew open as she saw first a brown leather boot, then a green tunic emerge. Finally, the face was revealed. A face she knew all too well. It was the greatest Link there had been… the Hero of Time, in his adult body.

She paused. No… no. It was him, but it wasn't. He was there, all right, but something else… this was not the mortal hero she knew. He was surrounded by a soft, divine glow that the Hero had lacked.

Completely ignoring Ganon, the being that looked identical to the Hero of Time walked over to the Captain of the Mage-Knight's body and bent down by it. The body vanished as he touched it. After a moment, the strange figure picked up Ragnell.

"Blessed blade, you may lower the illusion you have made around yourself and return to your true form." He said. The blade's shape changed as a silvery metal flowed up the blade and surrounded the Orichalcon. The Master Sword shone brightly in his hand.

Ganon finally gathered his wits and fired off a blast of magic. Effortlessly, the figure swung his holy sword and sheared the attack in half. The two bits disappeared, unable to sustain their form.

"You should not have killed my incarnation." The figure said, sighing. "Now I have to come here in my true form and fix everything." He held up a hand. Upon it rested the Triforce of Courage. The King of Evil shot forward, gathering almost all of his considerable power into his blade. He had finally figured out who this figure was.

"**_DIE!_**" Ganon roared, swinging his blade around as hard as he could. The blade that the Gerudo King held was simply cut in half, followed by his body.

"Nayru." The glowing figure said as the two halves of Ganon fell to the earth. Curiously, there was no blood. Perhaps because blood was no longer needed for him. "This is a future that should not have even come about. You once appeared as the Oracle of Time, in Labrynna. It is time to use the Harp of Ages' true power, and return in time. Make this a future that Never Was."

Nayru stared at the halved body of Ganon longingly, and looked at her precious friends.

"You know we cannot keep it like this, however nice it might be." The figure said gently. Farore slowly got to her feet, then ran over and threw her arms around the figure, crying. He gently embraced her. "Farore… I'm so sorry. Not yet. When Ganon is truly gone, it can be." The green-haired Goddess shook her head furiously.

Nayru watched sadly as the two quietly conversed. They almost never spoke about it, but she and Din knew very well that Farore liked a certain someone. That certain someone was the spirit of the Link, the one before them. An entity created along with Hyrule, whose spirit and power resided in the Triforce of Courage. He was every one of them; past and present, and future if there were any more incarnations needed to destroy Ganon or some other wicked one completely.

She herself had a very special person waiting for her once her duties were finally done. One Ralph, from that incident in Labrynna. After Ganon had been beaten there, she had lived out a life in a mortal body, having found someone she really liked. So, in a way, she knew how Farore felt. But Farore had been waiting much, much longer to be with the one she was now by, and had never gotten to spend time with him before. And now that they were face to face for the first time, they had to be torn apart. Fate was merciless, it seemed. Well… perhaps not entirely. The girl wouldn't remember that they had finally come face to face.

"I will be waiting for you, Farore. The time isn't far off when we may be together." The Spirit of the Link said, kissing his one true mate upon the cheek. Farore only cried harder.

"No! No no no no no! Why can't we just keep this future? We can be together now!" the girl sobbed out. "I've been waiting for over two thousand years… Why can't it finally be done?"

"Because if we left things like this, we would all cease to exist." The Spirit of the Link replied gently. "Such is the heavy hand of the Ancient Magic. I have, however, asked it for help so that we do not eternally repeat this future and these events. I could not bear having to do this over and over forever, to leave and forget you each time. It has agreed." He looked at Nayru. "Hurry… I cannot keep this up for long!"

Nayru nodded, and the Harp of Ages appeared in front of her. She began playing on it, and all four of them began to fade.

"I will be waiting for you, Farore." The Spirit of the Link repeated softly. "For the day when our duties are done." Just a moment before his lips met hers, it happened.

The Link had once had to use the Harp of Ages. But that had merely been time travel, and had not truly changed the future. Now, however, a far more ancient and powerful ability was being used. This was the true strength of the Harp of Ages.

Reality cracked, broke, and shattered, in that order, as a melody emerged throughout time. A number of effects occurred as changes rippled throughout the time-stream. Finally, the future where Ganon had slain the Link totally vanished. Only two beings would ever remember that it had existed. Nayru, so she could help change it, and the Ancient Magic that governed all. He remembered.

Nayru found herself once more in front of the gates of the city, and Ganon was riding up on his steed. The girl simply knew what needed to be done; that must have been the alteration the Ancient Magic had made.

"Master Sword!" the Goddess said, believing with all her heart. "I, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, beg you to reveal your true form for this warrior! He has not passed the normal tests of Wisdom or Courage, but I do believe that he has shown both traits by his actions in the past! If you agree, then please, release yourself to your true form and save us all!"

The sword Link knew as Ragnell changed in its hands, the shape becoming the blade that was so familiar to the Spirit of the Link. The blade's color did not change. Only one other Link had managed to obtain the blade's true form.

The sword was ordinarily silver. However, a pair of dwarven blacksmiths had once worked the blade, and, obligingly, the sword had gone from half of its true power to three quarters, its blade shining a brilliant red. Later, a fairy queen had asked that the sword show its true power, and once again agreeing that it would be right, the sword had revealed its _real_ golden self and all of its power. Link swung the blade across and a massive burst of power shot out and crossed the gap between it and its target in the blink of an eye. Ganon was blown off of his steed.

Link stared down at the blade in his hands. Ragnell was the Master Sword? Well, then, he'd let the sword fulfill its purpose, and slay the Gerudo King.

Of all there, only Nayru really understood what had happened. When it had taken the shape of Ragnell, the sword had gone into hibernation, in a way. It was masking itself so Ganon would not find it. To be successful, it had needed to seal most of its own power.

Now, however, it was the sword that Din had forged. The Master Sword, the weapon with the power to repel evil. The purifying blade of the Link that would fulfill the prophecies. Nayru smiled. Din had forged and blessed the blade, but she and Farore had also helped it. Farore's gift was that of being able to be wielded only by the true Link. As for her… Nayru's gift made it so the hero and sword would actually travel back in time if defeated. It was why the Link always won.

Ganon knew something was amiss. Something was very wrong here; that sword the Link held was suddenly far more powerful. And far more familiar. He snarled. So, the boy held the Master Sword, did he? That was the only thing that managed to keep him at bay. He should have known. Well, then, it was time to see if he knew how to use it!

Ganon tossed away the sword on his belt and held out his right hand. Alondite appeared in it. The sword was still the twin of Ragnell… no, the Master Sword. That was because the universe needed balance. These two swords, the light and the darkness, were equal. Ganon smiled grimly.

The swords were equal. The swordsmen were not. He knew that he had far more power and experience than the boy, and even the true Master Sword would not be enough to defeat him. Not when he revealed a higher form.

Ganon roared as his magic coursed throughout his body and he grew in size. Before long, he rather resembled the moblins he so often employed. Black flames dripped from his maw as he lumbered towards the Link. The Master Sword was incredibly strong, yes, but it didn't have the power to hurt him in this form. He watched as the Link walked forward to meet him.

"Pray one last time to your Goddesses, boy." Ganon snarled. "It is the last chance you will ever get." He slammed Alondite down, and watched as the Master Sword blocked it. The force of the blast made small craters beneath Link's feet. The boy's eyes narrowed as he launched a furious assault with his sword. It did not penetrate Ganon's hide. "You can't hurt me anymore."

"**No, he can't. But I can.**" A very, very familiar voice said calmly. Yet, the voice sounded softer, kinder somehow. Both warriors looked to the side and found Shadow there, armor whole once more. Helmet and all. The warrior held out a hand, and Alondite flew into it. "**Ganon, you should know by now that this Sword of Shadows belongs to me. After all, I am half of the balance.**" Ganon's eyes widened. But… he had enchanted Shadow again! How had the warrior broken free of the mind control?

That was the other effect the Ancient Magic had allowed. It had forced Ganon's spell to seem like it had worked, but secretly fail. Thus, the Future that was Lost would not Be Once More.

Shadow calmly sliced downward with the dark blade. It cut deeply into Ganon's arm, which had been thrown out to block it. The form the King of Hyrule was in could withstand any amount of holy attacks, but it was never made for blocking darkness. Alondite loved the irony of the situation.

Ganon was angry once more. He had come so close yet again, only to fail. He knew that at the moment, there was no way he could win. Roaring in anger, he changed shape and flew off.

Shadow faced Link and Nayru, then ever-so-slowly sheathed Alondite.

"**Please, don't worry. Ganon is no longer in control of me.**" With those words, Shadow's helmet was slowly lifted. Link and Nayru stared as a cascade of blonde locks tumbled out. Link didn't quite get it yet, but Nayru did.

Shadow was a girl.

Shadow was _Zelda_.

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And the twists just keep on coming…

Okay, so like I was sick of no Goddess fics, I was sick of Zelda always needing saving in the games. XD _This_ Zelda is just as strong as _this_ Link. Fun!

In other news, one pairings is official:

Farore x Spirit of the Link (not Link, mind you, the Spirit you just saw. Totally different people… mostly.)

Review!

Holodrum and Labrynna: The lands you explore in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (Game Boy Color), respectively.

This was in A Link to the Past. Yes, you can upgrade the Master Sword in that game in the way I noted, and yes, the sword really does get twice as powerful. It's quite nice. XD I choose to believe that the sword will only be giving its real power to the Link when asked. Also, in that game, you can fire blasts of energy from the sword while at full health (and unlike in OOS and OOA, which have a straight sword-shaped beam, in LTTP the blast arcs around and has a much greater range). That, and the game Ragnell came from, is the basis of the sword's distance-attack. XP What, you thought I was making it all up?

Also from A Link to the Past. . You _can't_ beat Ganon with the Master Sword alone, even fully powered up. It is literally impossible. Silver Arrows are required to punch through his guard and allow your sword to smack him senseless.


	6. Destiny Revealed

Chapter Six: Destiny Revealed

They had always called him Praxi. It was just a name, with no particular meaning that made it special or unique. Born in what was once known as Holodrum, Praxi whiled away his days exploring the mountains and fields of that very interesting country.

Many people knew Praxi. He was great, they said. He knew all sorts of tricks to keep the kids entertained. He cooked, he cleaned, and he fought off monsters whenever they reared their ugly little heads. Yup, the people would say, Praxi was really a great guy. Anytime anybody needed any help anywhere, he would show up and do anything that anyone could want for any price.

He has no relevance whatsoever to this story.

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Slowly, carefully, the girl once known as Shadow walked over and knelt down in front of Link and bowed her head.

"I am very sorry for all of the trouble I have caused you by my actions while serving Ganon." She said quietly. "I wish to atone for my crimes by serving you not as Shadow, Ganon's servant, but as Zelda, the warrior." Several thoughts ran through Link's mind at that moment.

Number One: Shadow's a girl?

Number Two: Shadow's a _cute_ girl?

Number Three: I almost lost to a girl?

Number Four: 'Zelda' is a name passed down to the rightful Princess of Hyrule.

Number Five: I almost killed the Princess of Hyrule?

And last, but far from least, Number Six: Dang, she's hot!

He shook his head vigorously. Now was no time to be all slack-jawed. He had an image to maintain, after all. Smiling gently, he bent down and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She stiffened.

"I would be honored if you would join our fight against Ganon." The Captain of the Seraphia Mage-Knights announced. Zelda relaxed. "I've never met a warrior or mage as skilled as myself before; as a swordsman and spellcaster, as much fun as it would be to strive against you, I would rather we be on the same side so that when this is all over and done with, we may fight as often as we like against someone equally strong." The girl slowly nodded, and Link grinned. "Besides, with both of us working together, there's no way Ganon can defeat us!"

"Don't be so sure." Nayru said, frowning. Both of the warriors turned and looked at her. "You only won now because Ganon didn't plan on her arriving and going against him. But he's not going to give up just because of something as, no offense, measly as one good warrior switching sides. He's been trying to get the Triforce for over a thousand years. He'll be back soon with a way to defeat both of you."

"There's that infamous wisdom." Link said, nodding. "As usual, she's right." He stood up and held out a hand. "What do you say we start training, then?" Zelda quietly nodded. After a moment, Link turned around and found his Mage-Knights standing rank and file, in perfect formation. "…What are you all doing here? Didn't I tell you to go back home?"

"Yes, sir." His second-in-command promptly replied. "However, we got together and decided that we would stay ready for combat anyways. You're an amazing warrior, sir, but we're not exactly half-bad ourselves. To defeat Ganon's armies, you'll need our help."

Link sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"What am I gonna do with you guys?" he asked, sighing. "All right. We've been through so much together I guess I can't just send you all packing now. However, Michael, I can't exactly let you get off easy. I _know_ you had something to do with disobeying my orders; it was probably your idea. Therefore, you are officially demoted to third-in-command."

Nobody was particularly worried about that; it was an easy punishment, and they'd never had a third-in-command before. Just the boss and Michael.

"Who is taking my place, sir?" he asked. Link gestured to Zelda.

"She is." The boy replied calmly. "She is a better swordsman and mage than any of you are ever going to be, right on par with me, and I think she needs some experience handing out orders. After all, when she takes her throne back from Ganon, she needs to know what to do with the country afterwards."

Nayru was impressed. The boy was showing admirable forethought and thinking about what would come after the war. As Ganon's servant, this particular Zelda had probably received no experience in ruling people at all. As such, by commanding the members of this unit below only him, she could gain that experience and become a better ruler.

"I think he's just passed another test." Nayru said, chuckling to herself. "What better way to show wisdom than a situation like this?" A blue pendant shimmered into existence next to the red one the warrior already had around his neck. He was so busy trying to get his soldiers to stop laughing that he didn't even notice. "Mmm." Smiling, the Goddess walked back to the castle, stopping every now and then to peer into a shop, smell some flowers, or sift through some baubles.

Seraphia… wasn't Hyrule. It never would be her real home. There was just something about that distant land that was special. Perhaps it was because the land was, in a way, her child. She, Din, and Farore had, after all, created it. This land was worth protecting too, though. It wasn't her creation, but it was precious all the same. Soon, very soon, she would walk the fields of her land once more. Din would restore the land that was corrupted by evil, Farore would breathe back green life into the forests and fields, and she herself would give the Laws so that people could live in happiness and peace.

But that future was still a little ways off. Before she could relax, knowing that all was well and Ganon would not return, she had to defeat the warlord. Things were starting to change.

When she had come to Seraphia, she had been bruised, battered, and broken. Now, people across the land were slowly starting to pray and believe. She had not only one champion, but two, both great fighters who could take on anything Ganon would throw at them.

So said the Ancient Magic, after all. The Link and the Princess of Hyrule, from one generation to the next, were tied together by the bonds of fate. When one appeared, so would the other. And together, the balance was whole, their powers increased. The fighter and the healer, the male and the female, the crusader and the leader. They were finally together.

Nayru smiled softly as she entered the castle, her temporary home, once more. Ganon would fall soon, she was sure of it. The entire world would be right once more, and things would be as they were meant to be.

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Ganon, of course, was in no way planning to let himself be defeated. Having returned to his normal form, quietly, calmly, he opened the door to his room and stepped inside. The Goddesses chained to his bed looked up at him.

The sight of their terrified faces and torn clothing calmed him down. All right, so someone had managed to get the Triforce of Courage to the Link. He could deal with that. And he could deal with the Master Sword just fine by shifting form. He was Ganon, the King of Evil. He had beaten and broken two Goddesses, and blasted a third senseless. He was the most powerful being in existence!

Cracking his neck, the man lay down between the two Goddesses and put an arm around the shoulders of each one.

"Din, dear, explain to your little friend what happens when I am not obeyed." He ordered. Din sighed.

"He will let one of his creatures touch you. The pain is unbearable. It's better to do as he says." She whispered. Ganon chuckled.

"Quite correct." He said. "Now, you foolish little girls, I will be showing you what happens when I am mad. Nayru has irritated me quite a bit, you see." Ganon sat up and looked down at Farore. "You especially need to learn." Chuckling, he held a hand above her forehead, and a black aura appeared around it.

"Don't." Din whispered, knowing what would happen. She could take it; she was the Goddess of Power, and much sturdier than the other two. Farore, though… she was incredibly fragile. For a Goddess, anyways. "She can't take that, and you know it. You'll never get the Triforce if you kill her."

Ganon chuckled as he slowly lowered his hand. Farore did not look away; she stared right into his eyes. If this was to be her end, then she would face it with all the courage she represented. After all, even if she did die, Ganon would have no true victory that way.

"Well, then. Somebody had better start talking." Ganon hissed, oblivious to the green-haired girl's determination to defy him to the end and beyond. "Now, dear Din, how may I kill that foolish whelp Link and the traitor Zelda? You know a way, I'm sure." He watched as his precious Goddess of Power took a deep breath and closed her eyes. However, she did not offer him an answer. "HOW?" Ganon roared, mad once more. "I deserve the power of the Triforce! It belongs to _me_, and you know it!" his hand inched lower, until it was almost brushing Farore's head.

"Kill us and our power shall vanish." Din said calmly. If her little friend would refuse to be afraid, then she could hardly do less. Somebody had to be a role-model here, after all. "We will never help you, Ganon. You are evil incarnate, and it is our job to stop you." Ganon pulled his hand back, letting his power vanish. "Fight against it all you like, but you will soon die forever. When that happens, I will personally make sure that you are forever forgotten by the people of the world."

Slowly, Ganon began to laugh. Din blinked at him. Harder and harder the laughs came. This was not the laughter of a madman (though he was, all admitted), it was the laughter of somebody who found something genuinely funny.

"Din, Din, Din! I can't believe you haven't figured it out!" the man finally managed to say. "Really, I'm disappointed in you! Nobody can live for two thousand years unless they are a true immortal." Which, of course, he was _not_. A sick feeling crept into Din's stomach. "So how am I around, then?" he chuckled. "That's right, my little Goddess. I'm not living anymore. I was slain a long, long time ago by one of the Links you adore so much." That feeling in her stomach grew much, much stronger. "There is a reason the dark magic obeys me, you know. No living being can use it." he held out his hand in front of her eyes and wiggled his fingers. "My body could not survive those arts." He laughed once more. "I am dead, dear Goddess. Before I was slain, however, I called the dark magic to me. It needed someone to use it, you know. Nobody else would dare, and it was on the verge of vanishing. So I offered it a user in return for a new kind of life. I refused to become some shambling zombie or dark servant. I am the Lord of the Dead, my Goddess. You threaten me with death? I have already commanded it." he breathed on her cheek. "Does is sicken you, Din?" he cupped her cheek. "To know that I have no beating heart, no living brain, only a body that moves because of the darkness in every person's heart?" he slowly traced around where her own heart was with a single finger. "The darkness that even you have. I know what you did that day, so long ago."

Farore looked over. "What is he talking about?" the girl asked, confused. Din's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"Oh, she knows." Ganon said, continuing to circle where the girl's heart was. "It was more than fifteen hundred years ago, Farore. I had just been sealed, and she was temporarily free from her duties. Din left Hyrule and went south, to spend some time relaxing and recovering." Farore blinked, confused. "Out in the sea, there was this island. She still wasn't thinking entirely straight, being weak and all, and she thought that I was on the island. And so she just blew it apart." He clapped his hands together hard enough to make a sound like a small explosion. Farore made a sound rather like an 'eep'.

If she hadn't been so scared, Din probably would have found this whole situation funny. Ganon was telling a horror story to Farore; at the very least, she'd have to make a diary and write about this when she was finally free. It was too strange to be a lie.

"I wasn't there, of course. Good thing, too, there was nothing left of the place." Ganon added thoughtfully. "Weakened she might have been, but that was still quite a lot of power she used. There were mortals, though. Several thousand of them, as I recall. Mostly children and women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. It was a refugee island for people who had been displaced in wars; all the males were off fighting. What was the exact number of the people you killed again?"

Din shut her eyes.

"Eleven thousand, four hundred, and thirty one people." She whispered. "Most innocents." Farore stared at her friend, the story taking its effect on her. She had always seen Din as a mighty warrior queen, a Goddess who would take out her blade and fight for Truth, Justice, and the Hyrulian Way anytime it was called for. Now… Din was just a delusional destroyer? That couldn't be true!

"That's right." Ganon said nodding. "Not quite the pure being you pretend to be, mmm?" he stopped his tracing and ruffled Din's hair. "You made me quite proud that day, dear Din. Couldn't have done better myself… at least, not back then. Nowadays I could kill a group that large in any number of slow, painful ways. And Nayru. She is not so pure either."

Farore swallowed. She did not like where this was going.

"The precious Goddess of Wisdom, beloved of the Royal Family of Hyrule and all its peoples." Ganon said mockingly. "Giver of the laws, punisher of the guilty, and protector of the innocent. She used to be known as all those. What the people decided to forget, however, was that punisher of the guilty part. She used to be so caught up in enforcing her laws. Why, the punishment for theft around here used to be two months of solitary confinement in the deepest, darkest, dankest row of cells. Even little children were forced down there and starved to death. Poor little things never got their food, and Din ignored it."

Farore stared at Din. Her friend had turned away in shame.

"And you're not innocent yourself, Farore." Ganon whispered. "In fact, Farore, you are the worst of all. You've fought me the hardest, always finding ways to give the Triforce of Courage to the Link. All the people I've killed in efforts to take out that foolish incarnation of your will? That's your fault. If I had the Triforce, yes, this would be a World of Darkness right now… not that it isn't… but I would have given the people some degree of a life and not just killed them. Because of you, millions have perished by my hand or my order." Tears leaked from Farore's eyes. "Now, girls, why don't you spare yourselves and your people further pain and start helping me. The sooner I get what I want, the sooner they can get their lives back on track."

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"You need to get your lives back on track!" Prince Adam of Seraphia roared to a huge crowd of people below him. "If you just leave things as they are and never try to fix them, then Ganon wins!" Cheers erupted from the people, along with hoots, whoops, and the occasional jeer.

"Well, I'll say one thing. He knows how to work a crowd." Link said, laughing. Nayru merely shook her head and sighed. Here they were, atop a balcony as Adam grandstanded to his countrymen. All she'd had to do was show up, and the boy's words were made credible. Being divine was a little troublesome now and then.

"It's time to go out and work! Don't think of this as something horrible! Ganon wants to blight the world with his dark magic! By growing crops, not only are you keeping your friends and neighbors full, but you are helping to hold him back!" Adam continued.

Nayru yawned widely. Eh. Well, anything was good if it would help more people pray to her. She was still incredibly weak, though about a thousand times stronger than she had been when she had woken up not so long ago. The girl stood up, dusted a little dust off of her dress, and headed for the doors that would bring her inside.

Shutting them behind her, Nayru took a deep breath and spun around giddily. Yes, yes, yes! Things were really looking up for her and her friends. Why, there was absolutely nothing that could even slow down the triumphant victory over the King of Evil.

It was really a shame that she hadn't used her Oracle powers to watch Ganon as Adam continued his speech. So much trouble would have been averted.

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"Ganon."

"Who's there?" the Gerudo King snarled, looking up from one of his cauldrons. It was getting late at night, and for the moment, he was letting his Goddesses sleep peacefully. They needed to regain energy for him to take, after all. A quick check confirmed that they were indeed fast asleep.

"I have a deal for you."

"I make no deals with people I can't see." Ganon replied contemptuously. A figure garbed in a totally concealing black robe stepped out of the shadows of the room's nearest corner. "…Who are you? You're not one of my creations."

"No, I am not." the figure replied. "As I said, I have come to make a deal with you. You are certainly capable of creating minions, but from what I have seen, few of those are truly effective." Ganon was silent, eyeing this intruder cautiously. "And so I am willing to… give you some help, you might say. There is no reason to believe my words alone, however, so the first assignment I will do for free. A trial, you might say."

Ganon simply laughed. Who was this man, who thought that he could barter with the (relatively) new King of Hyrule like this?

"You and I are much the same… we simply have different personalities and goals." The cowled figure said. Ganon looked at him for a long moment.

"Fine. Bring me Nayru, and not only will I hire you, but I'll pay triple your fee." He replied. The figure bowed extravagantly and vanished. "I will enjoy ripping his head off when he reports failure. And if he does happen to succeed… a competent, intelligent minion is worth any amount of money."

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	7. A Whole New Set Of Problems

Chapter Seven: A Whole New Set Of Problems

Fate was an irresistible little brat, Farore always said. No matter what people did, in the end they fell victim to whatever fate had in store for them. It was why Ganon always lost.

Din agreed. The Link was fated to rescue a Zelda, usually by defeating Ganon, in an almost endless cycle. Yeah, fate was definitely irresistible.

Nayru did not agree. Fate was hard to thwart, true, but a sufficiently determined madman who didn't care about how suicidal his actions were had a good shot at breaking free of fate, prophecy, destiny, and/or whatever else bound him (or her) to some path.

It was rather sad that Nayru was the one who turned out to be right.

Especially because the Goddesses of Hyrule were not the world's only Goddesses.

Really, how could anybody think that they were?

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At that moment, however, the Goddess of Water was acting incredibly feminine. Divine or not, at War or not, she was still a female with the body of a sixteen year old and the mind of an umpteen million.

To be specific, Nayru was trying on dresses in one of Seraphia's richest market districts. Sure, her normal outfit looked quite good on her, but it was just plain rude to not have anything special for important events. Of course, few people cared what she did. The people of Seraphia were very practical, after all, and had told themselves that since Nayru was a Goddess, she was completely exempt from all manner of insults created by action.

Prince Adam didn't feel the same way. He had demanded that she start dressing up to show proper respect to his station, despite the fact that she could have spat on him and kicked him into the dirt without offending anybody else. Divinity definitely had its perks. In this case, the right to take whatever she wanted from the shops.

It hadn't been her idea. Or Link's, or even Adam's. The people of Seraphia had actually demanded that she not even bother trying to pay for anything. She was their Goddess, after all, and they had informed her that this was simply their way of showing respect.

Seraphia was not a country where the people were obsessed with going to temples and praying. Sure, the temples existed, and yes, people did go there to pray, but their practicality always came through. They showed respect for the land by working it to the best of their ability. They showed respect to the crown by obeying the laws, paying their takes on time, and fighting for their homes as needed. And they showed respect for Nayru by giving her free stuff from their shops.

Dria hated it. No, no, that's wrong again. She hated _Nayru_.

Her full name, which nobody but her priests even tried to pronounce, was Driathrankil'metragintheak. Even she, always so picky, had agreed that Dria was fine.

When the Goddess of Wisdom had first come to Hyrule, Dria had decided to take pity on the poor girl. She'd been nearly dead, after all, and the Dark Lady of Seraphia didn't really want another Goddess dying in her territory. That would have made things very… awkward… next time anyone came to visit her.

Now, however, that blue-haired chit had seduced her people away, going so far as to ensnare the Captain of the Mage-Knights in her clutches. Dria really hated it. She was the one who had gifted him so much. A baby born in the lowest, poorest part of the country, she had reached out and given him gift after gift. Strength, the raw power to crush his foes. Speed, to lance out with his weapon in a blur the human eye couldn't even follow. Magic, the likes of which few mortals had ever known. All his powers, all his greatness, it was all because of what she had done!

And now, he had turned his back on her, seduced by that foreign Goddess! He had completely ignored everything she had ever done for him! He was like her child, her precious little boy, everything anyone could have wanted. She had pulled him up from the lowest place in the world to one of the highest.

Now… it was too late to do anything about it. Seraphia believed in Nayru now, and soon they would believe in Din and Farore as well, those dirty little brats! And how could her priests continue to follow her faithfully, when another Goddess moved among them?

Dria screamed, grabbed a priceless shield that had been forged for her by some of the best smiths to ever live, and hurled it across the chamber she called her home. It shattered into a thousand pieces as it hit the wall. THAT STUPID NAYRU! She wasn't going to wait any longer, she was going to go out right now and teach that girl a lesson!

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Nayru stepped into her room, arms piled high with boxes upon boxes of dresses that the shopkeepers had insisted on giving her. They were such nice people! Quite pleased, the Goddess set them down in a corner, spun around, and flopped onto her bed. She needed all the rest and fun she could get if she was to help finish Ganon off. Hee hee hee.

The door of her room slammed open. Blinking, Nayru looked over to find a girl who looked her own age (that is, the age she APPEARED to be) there. The girl had long, silky black hair, a beautiful black gown, and a face that was panting and red. A bit concerned, the Goddess sat up, tilted her head, and smiled.

"May I help you?" she asked pleasantly.

"YOU!" the girl screeched, running over and tackling Nayru. "This is all your fault, you brat! I've lost almost everything because of you!" Nayru understood what was happening a moment later as she peered into the spectrum of reality. This girl shone as brightly as any other divine being, which meant…

"Oh!" Nayru said. "You're a Goddess of Seraphia, aren't you?" Immeasurably pleased, the Goddess of Wisdom hugged Dria tightly. Screeching, the black-haired girl pulled back from Nayru and slid backwards across the room, furious. As Nayru continued to smile, Dria focused her power into the creation of an orb of destruction.

"You have two seconds to go home!" she yelled. Nayru blinked, then giggled slightly as a strong arm wrapped around the other Goddess' neck and hauled her backwards. "Who the--- lemme go! Lemmegolemmegolemmego!"

Link sighed as he looked down at the girl who had been about to attack Nayru. Who in the world was this, and why did she remind him of Farore?

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"_ACHOO!_"

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"Talk, girl." The Captain of the Mage-Knights said firmly. "Why are you trying to attack Nayru?"

"Because you picked her over me!" Dria roared, struggling to get free. She had given Link just a few too many gifts, though, because try as she might, she was trapped. Figured. Well, it was a lesson: No matter how much you like them, don't make them stronger than you are. Link was not dense. He had never seen _this_ girl before in his life, so she could hardly be a jealous lover. Supposedly, anyways, there were always a few really crazy ones out there. His guts told him that wasn't the case, though, and they were very trustworthy…

Nayru sighed and fluffed her hair back.

"I put so much work into you, and all you do is ignore me the first time a cute Goddess comes along!" Dria spat. "You're an ungrateful brat! I should have helped somebody else…" the girl crossed her arms and managed to sulk while trapped in a headlock. Nayru was quite impressed.

"You haven't even told us who you are." The Link pointed out. Dria stomped on his foot, and he let her go. The black-haired girl coughed, then raised her hands. The entire chamber was enveloped in shadows, and every so often, a bolt of lightning came from nowhere and went nowhere.

"BEHOLD, MORTALS!" the girl said, to the roar of thunder from somewhere behind her. "FOR I AM THE DARK LADY OF SERAPHIA, GODDESS FIRST CLASS, UNLIMITED, DRIATHRANKIL'METRAGINTHEAK! MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS DRIA! AND YOU HAVE AROUSED MY ANGER!"

"She said 'mortals'." Nayru said, looking over to Link. The warrior nodded.

"Uh-huh. But I'm the only mortal here. She made a mistake." He agreed.

"SILENCE!" Dria roared, twin orbs of darkness appearing in her hands. "OR I SHALL DESTROY THE BOTH OF YOU HERE AND NOW!"

A field of light appeared next to Dria, and a pair of white arms came out of it to grip the girl. A terrifyingly cute girl poked her head out of the field a moment later.

"Sorry about all this. My sister's a bit high-strung right now." She said, somehow managing to give the impression of a bow before she pulled Dria into the field. The light and the darkness vanished. After a long moment, Link looked over at Nayru.

"Does this happen often around Goddesses?" he asked quietly. Nayru just shrugged. She had no idea.

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"Why do I have this nervous feeling?" Ganon muttered, looking at the dark twilight outside his room. He spun around and clapped his hands together. Four minions appeared. "It's like something is about to go right for a change… Mora! Kora! Sora! Lora! Get me…"

"A shrubbery?" one of the minions asked hopefully. The other three smacked her. Hard. It was a horrible joke.

"No." Ganon said, growling. "Get me an imprisonment crystal from the treasury. If Nayru is actually brought here soon, I intend to seal her in one." The minions nodded and took off. The King of Hyrule turned around and bent over Farore. "I think I'll make you pay the energy for it." he added, kissing the girl. A torrential rush of power surged into his body. "Aah, you've been saving some." He whispered as tears leaked out from the small, green-haired Goddess' eyes. He didn't know what it was like to have your very being ripped out of you, but since even Farore cried when it happened to her, it must have been horrible.

He loved it.

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Nayru waved as Link left her room, the shut her door and smiled. Time for some changing into different outfits!

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"Dria, how could you go out and do something like that?"

"Well, half of this is your fault, you know! If you popped out there for five minutes and showed your face, those soldiers'd totally forget about Nayru!"

"Yeah, but only because they'd be thinking about how to get me in their beds! Men are stupid like that!"

"I know that, you don't have to tell me twice! I just wanted that Link to remember all I've done for him!"

"If you really care about him, you'll let him go! If he cares about you, he'll come back!"

"That is so like you, sister. Always hope and cheer and kindness."

"Well, I _am_ a Goddess of Light… Seraphia's Radiant Queen. Just like you're the Dark Lady, Nayru's the Aquatic Sage, and Gabriel is the Black Death."

"…I know all about how much you stare at him. It's very unbecoming for a perfect little maiden like you to want a Death God."

"S-shut up, Dria! That's none of your business!"

"Yeah, yeah… hey… where'd Link go?"

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Link, the mighty Mage-Knight, had gone to his bedroom, magically warded against spying. Even if the eyes doing such were divine. It was a simple room, with little of the grandness that befitted his rank. A bed, a desk, and very little else. His indulgence was his bed: A huge resting place designed to make him as comfortable as possible. The warrior sat cross-legged upon it.

He stared at his right hand, where a warm glow could be seen. After looking at the mark of the Triforce for several long moments, the boy held his arm out in front of him. Some words came into his mind, like a memory he could almost grasp. Link frowned for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"Triforce of Courage, mighty creation of the Goddess Farore, I beg you to bring your creator here to me. Free her from where she is being held and transport her to this place, should you find me worthy as your bearer."

Silence. Sighing, Link got up and began to head towards the door. But he stopped when there was a flash of green light from behind him. After counting to ten, Link oh-so-slowly turned around to see Farore reclining on his bed, a smile on her face.

"Greetings, mortal." The petite Goddess said grandly. "I'm really quite flattered that of all the fair maidens in the world, you would choose to bed me and—" Link fainted and slumped to the floor. "Dangit, I wasn't done! Stupid Link…" she said, pouting as she crossed her arms. "Maybe I shouldn't have made that last remark… oh well." It was impossible to keep her down for long. Bouncing to her feet, the girl walked over to Link, picked him up, and strode out into the hall. "Hup two three four, hup two three four…"

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"Listen!" Zelda said, looking out over Link's Mage-Knights. They were actually pretty good at what they did, and halted their exercises immediately to listen to her. "One of the most important things you will need to know is that your will is very important! If you continue to believe that you shall prevail, no matter how strong your foe, your abilities will grow more powerful! If you ever give up that hope, you are already beaten!" they nodded and made noises of agreement. "I understand from talking to the Drill Instructor that you have all been working on formations for a long time. Well, now we're going to do one-on-one. Strategies are certainly useful, but they never survive contact with the enemy!"

The Mage-Knights wasted no time. Pairing up, twenty five small battles broke out in the huge courtyard. While their weapons were merely wooden, the warriors did not hold back at all. They would train to the best of their ability, all day, every day in order to serve their captain and country.

Zelda thought for a moment, then raised her left hand and began firing blasts of magic indiscriminately into the general melee below. None was enough to permanently injure, but they would hurt if they connected. Far from turning on her, the soldiers only fought harder. Their great leader did this to all the time.

Simulate real combat conditions, he explained to anybody who came to watch, and the soldiers will perform better. If they expect everything to be orderly in a war, they're dead. It was with this school of thought that he beat all of them senseless at least once a week. Cockiness was also bad, so a regular reminder that they were not invincible also helped.

It amused Zelda to no end. However, she wouldn't go quite that far. She wanted their support when her kingdom was returned, and if they had some good will towards her, all the better. This small unit of warriors was among the most influential groups in this entire country. As she helped to train the warriors to be all they could be, Zelda prayed.

She prayed to Nayru, for the Wisdom to make the right choices and decisions in the coming battle. She prayed to Farore, for the courage to face whatever Ganon would send against them. And she prayed to Din, for the power to grab victory with her own two hands… well, her own two hands and her sword, anyways.

The Princess of Hyrule made an impressive sight, standing atop the ledge that overlooked the courtyard. Clad in heavy black armor, with her pale hair tumbling down her back, and bearing one of the land's sacred swords, Zelda was truly something Seraphia had needed. Another leader for the small country's armies, an icon for people to rally around. Her arrival might, just might, be enough to turn the war in their favor.

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"There is no trace of transportation magic." Ganon said softly. "Four chains remain unbroken, and the door was locked from the outside. The walls and the windows have powerful sealing spells set upon them. Farore could not possibly have escaped, and yet she has." He ran a hand down Din's cheek. "Tell me what happened, my lovely little Goddess. Tell me how she escaped, and I will not punish you for it in the slightest. I am offering you mercy."

Din smiled.

"She just vanished." Din replied. "I don't know how she managed to get away, or I would have done the same."

"Is that so…" Ganon replied. He put a finger at the base of her neck and slowly traced down her body. When he got to her stomach, he used a small amount of magic and tore away the cloth covering that part of her body. "Fine. Be that way, if you wish." He slowly traced a circle around Din's stomach. "Here's what I am going to do to you, Din. Inside your womb, I am going to conjure the egg of a creature from the darkest depths of the demon plane. Now, unlike those other creatures from that place, so deliciously evil, this little egg is not going to hurt you. No, it will start to feed on your power, gathering more and more of it. I am also going to work a little spell so that it takes an equal amount of power from me. We're going to be parents."

Din retched.

"Don't worry, it shall take only a few minutes… it will be the most painful thing you have ever experienced though, seeing as it is going to erupt out of you." Ganon added thoughtfully. "But you'll live. I will make sure of that." He finished tracing the circle, and Din felt the telltale flare of dark power that told her when Ganon. Mixed in was just a tiny bit of something else, though… her own power? Trying to help her?

Then it began.

For seven minutes, the screams did not stop from Ganon's castle. The guards, inside and out, carefully moved as far away from his room as possible without leaving their designated areas. Nobody wanted to really know what was going on in there, because on the irrational and completely baseless fear that it might happen to them if they found out.

What they forgot, of course, was that Ganon was hardly the type to keep his torture methods secret. Not only did he say what they were, but he instructed others in their use. What did the guards have to be afraid of?

When the dark ceremony was complete, Din lay glassy-eyed upon Ganon's bed, barely able to conjure a coherent thought, much less move. After he finished healing the gaping wound in her body, Ganon turned to the figure who was crouched on the ground beside them.

"I am Ganon, King of Darkness." The man said. "I have brought you into this world by feeding you my power and that of the Goddess on the bed. Obey the command of your father."

Slowly, the creature stood up and faced Ganon. It then bowed. A cruel smile crossing his face, Ganon indicated the wall. An image of Nayru appeared.

"As that other fellow has yet to make a move, I am sending you. Bring her to me alive." He ordered. The creature straightened, crouched, and leaped upwards. It vanished before it hit the ceiling. "Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow, but every child must leave its nest sometime." He said, amused. "Let this be a lesson to you, Din. Resist me and you shall suffer. Please me, and you shall be rewarded. You are no longer a Goddess of Hyrule, just a broken little girl. I am now the divine ruler of this land."

And he'd finally done it. Ganon had claimed divinity. Slowly, though the pain, Din started to laugh. Louder and louder, it bubbled and flowed out of her, a mad sort of laugh. Ganon was in for it now. To claim divinity when you were not… that was a real crime.

Ganon merely shook his head. Maybe she'd finally snapped and become as mad as he was. All the better, then.

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	8. Hope

Chapter Eight: Hope

Link calmly cut through the Moblin's body before kicking the dying monster back. All around him, the far-too-familiar sounds of battle could be heard. Another of Ganon's attempts to take over the kingdom. But something... this time, it just didn't feel right. A group of monsters circled him a moment later, and with a bit of a shrug, Link slammed his palm into the ground. Fire burst outwards in a sphere.

Din's Fire... very old, very traditional magic, but also steady and dependable.

"I don't suppose you have any ideas of what's going on?"

"Nayru's the one with the wisdom." Farore answered cheerfully. "If it helps, though, I believe in you."

And help it did. Farore was, after all, a Goddess of Courage. The ability of all the Links to face the darkness was due in no small part to her efforts. Courage to bring somebody beyond the level most people dared, to climb the tallest mountains or go into the deepest pits, to brave traps and monsters and spirits... all for the sake of bringing light back to the land. Belief, for a Goddess, was power.

"Heh. I should have known." Link said, bashing another enemy aside. There was little elaborate fighting done, just cutting through the enemies. It took more than an hour to get through the mass, where their commander was waiting patiently.

It was a... reflection of sorts. Of Link himself, bearing a corrupted image of the Master Sword, black and twisted.

"Serious juju." Farore breathed out as the shadow slowly moved forward, as if a mirror of Link's movements. "He's done this before, but not as strong. Do not despair, my Link."

"...Thank you." the warrior answered, pointing his sword at the shadow creature. Yes... the blessing of his Goddess was exactly what he needed. "Time to end this."

--------------

"Why!?" Ganon hurled the mirror he'd been using to scry across the chamber. Thousands of shards rained to the floor. "Every time, no matter what I send, he wins!" the entire castle, long since bent to his will, shuddered under its master's rage. "What do I have to do to kill him!?"

The deity chained to his bed laughed, just as insanely as Ganon himself often did. "You can't." Din answered. "You simply don't get it, little man." a hand gripped her neck and squeezed. "You're so afraid. I know you better than anyone else, considering how much of my power you've stolen. Darkness can only retreat from the light; it can never touch it. That is why you will never overcome him. He is not just a mere warrior, he's a creation of the most powerful magic there is."

"As is this." Ganon growled, a golden triangle appearing on his hand. "Again and again he has thwarted me." Tool after tool was broken as the Gerudo King raged. "All of these! My finest works, my careful creations... why do I even bother!? That cursed boy, that thrice-cursed sword! None of this means anything!" Wild-eyed, he grabbed Din by the shoulders and began to shake her back and forth. "I will rip apart his very soul, do you understand? I no longer care about this wretched world. It will burn. Time and again, you try to thwart me, but I grow ever closer to my goal. Where you were once untouchable up in the heavens, I have brought you down. Where your followers could be found around the world, I have crafted silence. But I... I shall become Almighty. And even you will worship me, my dear. And then... I will destroy everything. Until there is nothing left except you, your sisters, and I, forever in the void."

"Do you imagine your threats to frighten me?"

"No. Because you still have that little spark of hope deep inside of you, that one day this will all be over... you dream that I will be no more, and that this twisted land will become green and lively once more." the Gerudo King grinned savagely. "I think it's time to end all of this, don't you? This whole world."

"The Link will stop you."

"Of course you'd say that. He'll come rushing in, the triumphant hero, and come here to the highest floor of the tower to fight me. Have you ever heard of pattern recognition? I'm not going to even try to slow his journey this time, much less stop him. It never works. But what I have, Din, is this."

Ganon reached into his pocket. As he held it up, Din felt a creeping sense of dread.

"Ah, you know it? Excellent. Then perhaps you can guess my plans."

-----------

Link stared at the report. "This can't be right." he said, looking around the room.

"He wants to end it." Nayru answered calmly. "He hates you, Link, and all that you stand for. Don't interpret this as praise; he has some honor, twisted though it is. He's obsessed. He wants to beat you. This is our chance to end him."

The warrior stared at the letter for a long, long time. "...Farore."

"Yes, Link?" the petite deity asked.

"I've... gained something of an understanding. He'll keep coming back, won't he?"

"...Yes."

Link sighed. "Over, and over, and over. I don't know how many times this cycle has repeated itself, but I'm going to end it. Take it." he held out his empty hand.

"Take... you can't be serious!" the girl shrieked. The Link merely smiled. "Have you completely lost your mind!?"

"No. I'm going to get him to do the same."

"That's... you... I... gah!" The girl seemed to have totally lost the ability to form coherent sentences. When she was done, the Link calmly stood up.

The journey didn't take long. Farore's Wind was quite sufficient to carry the three of them to the front of Hyrule Castle, where the gates creaked open.

"I got bored of waiting up top. You always get there anyway." Ganon said, striding forward. "And you've brought my other two playthings, I see."

Calmly, Link held up the Master Sword. "Ganon. I'm here to challenge you. And I've a wager." the Gerudo King raised an eyebrow, then hissed as Link held up two small, golden triangles. "Exactly. No ancient powers, nothing of that sort. Just you and me, to the death." the Gerudo King laughed.

"Fool!" he roared, dashing forward. There was an unpleasant sound as his blade went through Link's belly. "I've... I've done it! I killed you!" Link coughed as his hand closed around the Gerudo's wrist. "It's too late for you now, boy!"

"You're... predictable..." Link said weakly as he focused his thoughts. "Tri... force!" The third triangle erupted out of Ganon's hands and joined its fellows.

"You-"

"They're... meant to... be together!" Link said as Ganon pulled his sword out. Before their eyes, his wounds began healing. The warrior spat a broken bag out moments later. "Red Potion. Great stuff, and I always did like hiding some that way."

"I'll kill you!" Ganon roared as darkness enveloped his body. The man grew in size, morphing from somebody mostly humanoid to something more like the King of Moblins. "Now-" Link calmly pressed a hand against the Triforce. "...Eh?"

"Heh." the warrior answered. "I don't have to fight you to win, I just had to touch this first. After all, if I killed you, I wouldn't accomplish my goal. Triforce! My wish is this: Restore to your creators their former power!" The three golden triangles flashed brightly, then vanished as a torrent of power rushed through the area. Far above the chamber, Din flexed her wrists and snapped the chains binding her before simply shifting herself into the hall.

"You think this will stop me!? I took you down once; I'll do it again!" Ganon howled.

"Mighty goddesses... let my blade pierce him." Link muttered. Rushing forward, he eyed Ganon carefully before plunging the Master Sword through Ganon's chest. As the sword was held there, one of its most ancient powers went to work. A sword to dispel evil... and all the darkness Ganon had accumulated over the thousands of years, and the hundreds of chapters of what was all one story. "Let all of this be ended. This world has suffered your curse long enough, Gerudo King!"

It would be incorrect to say that Ganon died. For, as has been told, he had perished a very long time ago. Over the ages, with every defeat, he had become more twisted, more wretched, and mostly a corpse animated by hate alone, kept tied to the world by his Triforce of Power. To be great, however, power alone cannot suffice. It is something that must be supported by wisdom and courage in order to reach its full potential. The wisdom to know how to use it, and the courage to walk the narrow path of actually doing so. In the face of one who possessed all these traits, the gathered darkness could never triumph. Thus the darkness was dispersed, as darkness always does when faced with the light.

And so closed the final tale, the final chapter, of the Legend of Zelda. A story that was told many times in many ways, but at its core very simple: How Power had failed to remember what supported it and attempted to overcome Wisdom, only to to be struck down by Courage. A story that would be forever told in Hyrule as a remembrance of the past, and a caution to those who would unwittingly play it out once more. For power alone was not strength, but when combined with what supported it, it could become far greater than any of the three alone. Every story, every legend, must someday have an ending, and this Legend was no exception. When finally the last Link closed his eyes forever, the Spirit of Courage was free to rejoin the Goddess who supported him. Never again was the name given to a child, but in the stories of Hyrule, neither was it forgotten.

* * *

A/N: All right, all right, I finished it. Geez, people, a couple years of silence and I was still getting favorites? What did I do right about this story, anyway? It's full of errors! I regret adding in other deities! I shoulda done the magic differently! But whatever, it's over now, so you can all go to sleep satisfied that you won't be left hanging forever. XD Now leave me alone before I'm tempted to redo this story entirely and fix everything that's wrong with it.


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